The Touch of Love
by silfaeyn
Summary: When Scully & Mulder find two small children after their parents have been murdered, Scully decides to adopt. But Scully is a single, unmarried careerwoman, so she turns to Mulder for some help.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Touch of love

**Summary: **When Scully & Mulder find two small children after their parents have been murdered, Scully decides to adopt. But Scully is a single, unmarried career-woman, so she turns to Mulder for some help.

**Spoilers: **Set season six after Arcadia/Aqua Mala, so anything before that is fair game.

**Notes: **I'm totally on a total fluff, ship, romance binge. This fic is purely reflective of that fact. There's very little X File here, and very much Moose & Squirrel and "twu wuv".

And yes, this fic is a hopeless cliché. So sue me. I happen to like fluff and romance and cliché.

**1.**

Dana Scully was no stranger to violence and death. During her time with the X Files, she'd seen more murders, mutilations and acts of evilness than she cared to think about. Which is why, when she received a phone call from Mulder early one Saturday morning detailing a murder scene in the suburbs, she simply got dressed and drove to the location he gave her.

"How is it, Mulder?" she asked, stepping out her car. Mulder was standing on the sidewalk, an umbrella in hand. He held it over her head and slipped his hand into its usual place at the small of his back. Scully had long ago stopped feeling confused and concerned by his continual invasion of her personal space – it was simply the way Mulder was, and Scully accepted that easily. Sometimes she even found herself enjoying his closeness, and recently she'd started to initiate that closeness herself, much to her surprise.

"It's bad, Scully," Mulder said quietly, helping her up the neat steps of the porch.

"Details, Mulder?" Scully asked as they stepped into the house.

It was a nice house; a coat stand with coats was tucked in a corner, and next to it was a shelf with three pairs of boots neatly lined up on it. Mother, father, and son, Scully guessed, glancing at the boots.

"It looks like a murder-suicide," Mulder explained. "But it's not."

"How do you know?" Scully asked, examining the entry foyer where they were still standing. She felt detached; as though she wasn't really standing in the hallway of a house where the family had just been murdered.

"Normally, if a father is going to commit a murder suicide, he kills the children first and then the mother."

"But?"

"There's no sign of the children, Scully."

A trickle of relief warmed Scully's spine – she hadn't wanted to see more murdered children. Children were precious, and she took it personally if someone hurt them. "Where are they?"

Mulder shrugged. "I don't know. The family was the Logans – Anne and Paul Logan were the mother and father of two children – Lucy and Jacob."

"There's no sign of kidnapping?" Scully asked, pulling a glove out of her pocket. They'd stopped in front of a door, oak with blackwood trimming. A strange combination, Scully thought, as they stepped into the room.

There was blood, Scully realised. Far too much blood. "Oh," she whispered, looking around.

Mulder nodded. "From what I can see it wasn't a professional job. It's sloppy and hurried. A lot of anger – I think we're looking at a personal vendetta."

Scully nodded, agreeing, trying not to wince as her eyes landed on the figure of Anne Logan slumped against what was once a clean yellow wall. A trail of blood was smeared down the wall, as though Anne had slid down it after being shot. Scully shivered; Anne Logan was small and fine, a size similar to Scully. While her hair was brown, the scene looked eerily familiar to Scully as she remembered her own bullet wound. Photos of the crime scene had shown her a similar dark, streaky smudge against the wall where she had fallen. Too close for comfort, she thought darkly.

"So why were we called in?" Scully asked, looking away from the grisly scene and turning to Mulder.

"We have to find the children," Mulder said quietly. "I told you, there's no sign or indication of kidnapping, and seeing how messy this job was that's contradictory."

"What do you think?" Scully asked.

Mulder shrugged. "I think they could have called other people in first, Scully, and ascertained the kids weren't here when the crime was committed. For all we know, they are staying at their grandmother's house to give their parents a night of privacy."

Some night it turned out to be, Scully thought, unable to stop herself glancing across at Anne Logan again. She tried desperately to ignore the slashes in the victim's arms – post mortem, her analytical self supplied – and the crudely painted images and words on the walls around the room.

"Skinner said he wanted us to ease back into it."

Scully couldn't help quirking her lips in a smile – ease back into it? They'd already been to Florida hunting a sea monster, not to mention the whole escapade with the planned community and their undercover stint. Easing into things indeed, she thought wryly. If this was easing into things, she believed in Santa Claus again.

"Let's go look at the children's rooms," Scully said, wanting to get away from the coppery smell of blood clinging to the air.

Mulder nodded. "Okay. Jacob Logan, from what we can see, is four years old, Scully. That, I think, is a photo of him." Mulder pointed to a picture on the wall of a cute little boy with sandy brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was grinning happily into the camera from his position on a man's shoulder. Scully recognised the man as the late Paul Logan, and hoped to God that the little boy was okay.

"And Lucy is about 11 months old, I think. We found hospital records, she turns one early November."

Mulder pushed open a door that led into a sunny room with white lacy curtains and simple decorations. Obviously the girl's room, Scully thought, noticing the small baby monitor perched next to the empty cradle. She studied the empty cradle, frowning. "The baby was here, Mulder," she said. "Her pacifier is still here, and the blankets look like she was taken out in a hurry."

"If she was taken, Scully, wouldn't they take the pacifier and some other stuff to keep her quiet and looked after until they got her wherever they wanted her?" Mulder responded, pointing at various baby essentials scattered through the room.

"Let's go look at Jacob's room; we can come back and examine the details in a minute," Scully decided with a last look around the room.

Jacob's room was, by Scully's standards, a mess. There were toys scattered over the floor, and his bed was unmade. Scully stared at the bed. "Mulder, do you notice anything strange about the bed?"

He looked at it. "It's not made? It's usually not made if someone slept in it, Scully," Mulder pointed out reasonably.

"No, Mulder, there's no comforter on his bed."

"Is that significant, Scully?" Mulder asked, moving to the bed. "I don't always use one either, you know."

"It's not exactly warm at the moment, Mulder. I don't think a sheet is enough for a little boy."

Mulder's brow narrowed in thought, and he looked at Scully. A small, hesitant smile touched her lips. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking Mulder?" she asked almost lightly.

If she was right, then things weren't as sinister as they had first appeared. A small bubble of hope grew in Scully's chest, and she felt a little lighter than she had several minutes before.

"If you are right, Scully, where would they be? We've been through the house already, and we didn't find them anywhere."

"Attic?" Scully suggested.

"I know they had a look, but there wasn't any sign that the struggle went up that far. All the evidence appears to be in the sitting room, so they've been concentrating their efforts down there."

"Let's go look," Scully suggest calmly, nodding.

The attic was neater than Scully was used to attics being, but other than that there was nothing exceptional about it. She looked around the room quickly, spying a large dresser jutting out from one wall. She touched Mulder's sleeve silently and moved toward it.

"Jacob?" she called out gently, flicking on her flashlight. Even with the lights on, it was dim and dark in the grey light of a wet dawn, and the shadows were still dark. "Jacob, honey, are you here?"

She strained her ears, listening. There was silence.

"Jacob, my name is Dana, if you're here I need you to tell me, honey. We need to know you're okay."

Again, nothing.

The dresser was large and solid; Scully squeezed between it and several large boxes, and discovered what was obviously a small 'den' created specifically for the little boy to treat as a cubby. She heard something like a faint rustle of cloth, and paused, listening.

"Jacob?"

The silence wasn't as empty as it was before, Scully thought, running her torch over the walls. The small beam of light glinted over an unexpected shape, and Scully turned it back, playing it over an almost concealed door. A smile of relief washed over her face; the house was older than the average house in the suburbs, constructed with a tiered roof. In order to get to the wiring and actual inside of the roofing of the lower floors, small doors had been built into the attic walls which allowed builders and electricians to crawl through into the inner spaces.

Scully tapped on the door softly. "Jacob, honey? Are you and Lucy in there?"

A definite sound, similar to the mewling of a hungry baby reached Scully's ears. Carefully, slowly, Scully opened the small door and peered inside. It was pitch black. Once more, Scully turned her flashlight on and let the beam play into the dark. It traced beams and trimmings and finally came to settle on the huddled figure of a little boy with a terrified, tear streaked face clutching a wriggling bundle to his chest with frantic fingers.

"It's okay," Scully whispered, dropping to her knees. "It's okay. I'm here, Jacob, and everything's going to be okay now."

A strangled sound, like a cross between a hiccup and a sob, was torn from the boy's throat, and as though it was a sign that she could be noisy, the baby started up a soft, weak cry.

Without a second thought for her stockings, and ignoring the fact that Mulder was probably going to get a nice view of her ass, Scully kicked off her heels, dropped to her knees and crawled into the small, dark hole.

Jacob was cold and stiff, reluctant to let Scully cuddle him, but after a few minutes of fighting his tears, the damn broke loose and he clutched at her desperately, his little finger digging into her skin with enough pressure to leave bruises.

Scully rocked him in her arms, making sure she cradled the baby too, and pressed gentle kisses to his head as she crooned in his ear. He cried for a long, long time, until his body went limp against her and his breathing became even.

Only then did Scully pull the baby out of his arms and pass the still crying infant out to Mulder.

---

_You know you want to review. Really, really you do. _


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

Mulder was incredibly relieved to find the children alive. He'd been upset when he'd heard Skinner's orders – the man _knew_ how Scully took personal offence to crimes involving children, and he'd deliberately placed Scully on a case where two children might be murdered. Mulder was not happy with Skinner, but was still relieved that the children were fine.

He stood in the doorway of Jacob's room, watching as Scully gently fussed over the baby in her arms. The boy was sleeping on the bed, one hand gripping a teddy bear and the other curled into a thumb that was not quite positioned in his mouth anymore.

"Is she okay?" Mulder asked, turning his attention to the little girl in Scully's arms.

"Yeah," Scully murmured, not looking up. "She was just hungry. I think she missed her night time feed, and getting cold with Jacob didn't help much either."

"He's got a lot of spunk in him," Mulder said quietly, looking at the little boy. His pale cheeks were flushed with sleep now, but Mulder couldn't help thinking Jacob looked a little too pale.

"I think he saved his sister's life," Scully said honestly, rocking the baby. "I hope they find who did this, Scully."

"They've already got several ideas," Mulder said.

"Jacob will be used as a witness," Scully stated.

"Social services are on their way."

Scully's eyes flashed. "They're sending the kids to Social services? What about grandparents!" she demanded.

"Anne Logan's parents were killed in a car accident years ago. Paul's father is suffering from Alzheimer's – his mother is looking after him full time. I don't think it would be fair to send the children to them, no matter how willing they were," Mulder said quietly.

"Brother's and sisters?"

Mulder winced. "Anne's sister isn't exactly suitable for mothering material," Mulder said carefully.

"Mulder?"

"She works as a stripper at a local bar and according to several of the officers downstairs, they're fairly certain she's been in several pornographic movies."

Mulder was a little amused to see Scully's eyebrows hike up her forehead.

"Pornography?" Scully asked with disgust.

"According the neighbours – well, a Mrs. Arnold – Anne Logan and her sister Amber never got along very well. She thinks it's unlikely that Anne would want Amber looking after her children."

A real spurt of anger at the dead couple flushed through Mulder, surprising him. "They didn't have a will, Scully. They made absolutely no provision for these children in case something happened to them. Jacob and Lucy will be packed off to social services and fostered off from one home to the next unless someone wants to adopt them," he added bitterly.

Scully hugged the baby in her arms, closing her eyes. "It's not fair, Mulder," she whispered quietly, not looking up from the baby. "It's really not fair."

"No," he said, watching her. Something jerked and twisted inside him as he watched her with the baby. Scully should have her own baby, he thought, but she couldn't. Not for the first time, Mulder felt more regret and grief at what he'd caused Scully to lose, and felt unworthy to be in her company. "You staying here?"

"Until the social worker arrives," Scully agreed quietly, one hand straying to the little boy's forehead and pushing back his hair gently. "They shouldn't be alone right now."

Mulder nodded. Scully would make a great mother, he thought again, before leaving her with the children.

---

Thinking about it now, Mulder supposed he shouldn't have been surprised by Jacob's reaction. He'd informed Scully when the social worker had arrived, and watched as she gently woke the little boy up by smoothing the hair back from his face and calling his name softly.

The little boy woke slowly, obviously confused with sleepiness and the presence of the strange woman in his bedroom. Mulder could see the exact instant the little boy remembered what had happened – his brow creased in concentration, and his mouth dropped open in fear less than a second later.

"Easy," Scully whispered, pulling him toward her for a hug. He struggled at first, silently, but allowed her to hug him. "It's okay, Jacob," she murmured, pressing a kiss against his temple. "You're safe now, okay? You and Lucy both. You did a good job, you kept her safe. You're very brave," she told him, her voice gentle.

Mulder wasn't an expert with children, but he thought that the boy's silence was unnerving at best and definitely a point of concern at worse. He opened his mouth to say something, when Jacob caught sight of him.

Jacob's silence was over – he screamed long and loud, and grabbed madly for Scully, panicking.

"Well," Mulder said, a touch hurt, "that was encouraging."

"You're a man, Mulder," Scully pointed out, desperately rubbing the boy's back and trying to soothe him. "I think we're safe to guess that it was a man who… you know…"

And Mulder felt like a prime idiot for not figuring that out first.

Jacob's screaming woke the baby, who also started screaming. "Can you get her, Mulder?" Scully asked, sounding slightly frazzled.

Mulder was definitely not an expert with children – he couldn't remember once actual holding a baby. Scully raised her eyebrows in a '_Now, _Mulder' kind of way, and Mulder tried very hard to hide his panic face from her. The minute he put his hands around the baby and picked her up, Jacob's screams turned to bellows of anger and panic.

"Jacob, calm down!" Scully order sharply. "He's not going to hurt her. Mulder is my friend. He'll look after Lucy, and you. He's not going to hurt you."

The businesslike attitude of Scully's tone probably meant more to the kid than her actual words, Mulder thought, awkwardly trying to rock the baby. Lucy wasn't impressed with his technique, and kept her lusty wails ringing through the room.

"What's going on in here?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

Mulder turned, baby balanced awkwardly in his arms, to the preppy young social worker standing in the doorway. Her hair was blond in a Californian bleached kinda way, and her blue eyes were still bright and innocent. He thought she was pretty, but terribly green. Maybe in a few years time she wouldn't wear her heart on her sleeve anymore. As it was, her face was concerned and slightly worried at the scene in the bedroom.

"We're fine," Scully said. "Mulder, put the baby in your arm like a cradle and support her back with your other hand."

Mulder didn't think Scully's way sounded particularly safe – it sounded like he was handling the baby like a football that way. Instead, he held her against his chest, and to his great surprise and delight, she calmed down a bit.

"You must be the social worker," Scully continued, still holding Jacob and rubbing his back.

"Alice," the woman nodded. "And these must be Jacob and Lucy."

Neither child responded, and the room settled into an awkward silence.

Scully sighed. "Where are you taking them?"

"There's a home not too far from here," Alice said quietly. "I'll keep them there until everything is sorted out regarding… what happened. And then we'll probably foster them out."

Mulder wasn't too impressed that the girl, young as she was, spoke about passing the kids around in front of Jacob.

"Come on, Jacob," Scully said, coaxing the boy to his feet. "I want you to meet Alice. Alice is going to look after you for a while."

Jacob, it appeared, had other ideas. The minute he and Scully were standing he attached himself to Scully's leg like a limpet, wrapping his arms around her thighs and tucking his head out of sight.

Scully, Mulder thought with a smile, looked a touch disconcerted to be handled so intimately by a little boy, but she hid the discomfort quickly. "Come on, Jacob," she said, trying to peel his arms from her legs. "Alice is going to take good care of you."

Once again silent, Jacob shook his hidden face against Scully's leg, and refused to let go.

"Does he have to go the shelter?" Scully asked finally, looking up at Alice. Mulder was stunned with the naked look of longing on Scully's face.

She wanted him, Mulder realised, almost dropping the baby. She _wanted_ the little boy.

"Well, he's a potential witness to a crime," Alice said carefully. "And there's not anyone else who's come forward to take him. It's our only choice, I'm afraid."

"I'll take him," Scully said firmly. "I'll take them both."

"You?" Alice blinked. "That is a very out of the ordinary request, Agent Scully," Alice pointed out. "FBI agents don't normally volunteer to take the children in for a few days."

"Is it possible?" Scully demanded, her hand rubbing Jacob's back again. Mulder was surprised to find himself imitating the movement on Lucy's back, rubbing gentle circles and cuddling her head with his cheek. He was surprised at how cuddly the baby was, and decided not to think about it too much.

"Well," Alice said hesitantly. "It'd have to be cleared with the people in charge of investigating what happened, and I'd have to clear it with my supervisor too." She narrowed her eyes at Scully. "Why are you so keen to take them?"

"They need someone," Scully said.

"Alice?" Mulder interrupted. "Could we have a word _outside_, please?"

Baby still in his arms, Mulder followed the girl out of the room. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, irritated at his tone.

"That boy in there has enough problems already, without needing you to go in there and start making statements about the uncertainty of his future. Right now, he wants Scully. Scully is happy to look after him."

"What about when Agent Scully moves on?" the woman demanded. "Have you thought about that? That little boy will get even more attached to her, and then she'll give him up because her job needs her to go someplace. She's an FBI agent, just like you. You should know you can't look after a child with a career like that."

"How do you know Scully doesn't have children already?" Mulder pointed out evenly.

The girl paused. "I guess she could have children," she said finally. "But that little boy still needs constant attention and care for a few weeks at least. She can't give him that if she has a full time career."

"So you'll give him constant attention for the next few weeks at the shelter, only your constant attention is divided between how many children exactly? And then, once he's had enough constant attention you'll pass him off into a foster home? How is that any more beneficial to him than letting him stay with Scully?"

Alice narrowed her lips. "It's not ideal, Agent Mulder. What would be ideal is if there was someone here _now_ who could take him. Relatives or friends or _someone_. But the fact of the matter is there is no-one for that little boy, or the little girl in your arms. I want to make it as easy as possible for that boy to transition into life in foster homes, and I don't know if letting Agent Scully look after him for a few days or a week is the best thing for him."

Mulder paused. "Tell you what. You clear it with your supervisor, and I'll clear it with mine. Then you have a chat with Scully when Jacob isn't nearby, so you can set yourself at ease," Mulder suggested.

Alice sighed. "I only want the best for him, Agent Mulder."

"I'm sure you do," Mulder said, "and right now, I think Scully is what that little boy wants."

A smile touched Alice's lips. "Agent Scully doesn't have children, does she?"

"No," Mulder said quietly.

Alice nodded. "Then maybe Agent Scully wants Jacob too."

And that, Mulder thought as he turned back into the bedroom where Scully and Jacob were waiting, as possibly part of the problem.

---

_Lots of ship coming, I promise. Of course, lots of nice reviews encourage lots of ship!_

_Yes, I am shameless. Maybe I should change my pen-name to Shameless!_

_Silf_


	3. Chapter 3

**note:** I realise that the XF timelines are royally screwed around on the show itself. In order to clarify when this fic is set, it is set about half way through season 6 just after Aqua Mala & Arcadia. Scully tried to adopt Emily around Christmas, and I've played with the timeline and set this fic around October almost two years later. I'm pretending that between Arcadia/Aqua Mala and this fic, nothing else in season six has actually happened yet, even though that's not entirely accurate. It's not like the show was any good at continuity anyway, so there's no reason why the fanfic should be!

Now that I've got that cleared up – on to the fic!

Ps – sorry about this part taking so long to post. I was away for the weekend and my internet connection died! Thankfully it's all fixed now.

**3.**

Scully was reluctant to leave the quiet room where Jacob and Lucy lay sleeping. She stood in the doorway and watched them, trying to convince herself that they would be okay for a few minutes while she went downstairs and explained the situation to her mother. Oddly enough, she found it hard to leave her position against the doorjamb, and it was almost impossible to keep her gaze from the two children whose cheeks were flushed with sleep.

"Dana?" her mother asked behind her, a light hand resting on Scully's shoulder. "I've made you some tea. Come down to the living room so you can explain."

"Okay, Mom," Scully said, but she didn't move.

"They'll still be here when you've had your tea, Dana. They'll be fine for a few minutes without you guarding their dreams."

Scully flushed a little, and allowed her mother to lead her downstairs where two cups of tea sat on the coffee table waiting for them.

"Now," her mother said, once Scully was settled on the couch with a cup in her hands. "Would you care to tell me what this is all about?"

"Jacob and Lucy's parents were murdered last night, Mom," Dana said quietly.

"Oh, that's terrible!"

Dana nodded, fiddling with the cup in her fingers. "They don't have anyone. Their parents didn't make any provision for them in case something happened to them. Effectively, Lucy and Jacob are orphans, and are going to be put into the social service system."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Maggie said sincerely, sipping at her own tea. "I'm still not entirely certain on why you've brought them here though."

"My apartment is too small for children," Scully said reasonably, finally lifting her own tea to her lips. It was sweet and milky and warm – not the way she liked it, but it soothed her in a way that only her mother's tea could. "I'm keeping them for a while. At least, until things are a little more certain regarding the murder investigation and suspects. We're fairly certain Jacob witnessed the murder; even if he didn't, he most likely knows who it was. We don't know for certain though, because he's refusing to talk to anyone about what happened, and I don't want to force him."

"It's not usual for you to take in children though," Maggie said reasonably, her eyebrows lifting in a way Scully recognised as very similar to her own. "Don't they have protection schemes for children in this situation?"

Scully nodded. "I found them, Mom, and Mulder and I both agreed it's better for the children if I keep them for a bit." She stared at her milky tea, not willing to look at her mother suddenly.

"Dana, are you sure about this?" Maggie asked quietly.

"Of course I am," Scully said firmly, nodding. "Jacob trusts me, and right now, he needs someone he trusts."

"I know you, Dana. You're not planning on letting them go any time soon, are you?"

Scully opened her mouth to protest, but found she couldn't form any words or sounds, let along try and convince her mother she was wrong.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Dana," her mother assured her. "I just want you to realise the decision you're making. It's not fair to be someone Jacob can trust if you're only going to break his trust by abandoning him."

"I won't abandon him!" Scully almost shouted.

"I'm not saying you will," Maggie soothed. "But if you don't keep the children after you've taken them in, he will see it as abandonment. He's young, Dana, and little ones don't always understand why things happen the way they do."

Scully was silent for a while as she surveyed the milky tea in her cup. A thin film was collecting on its surface as it cooled, and the thought of swallowing the sweet liquid suddenly made her feel sick. "Am I making the right choice?" she whispered, not looking up.

"I can't answer that," Maggie said carefully. "You have to understand though, Dana, that if you do this, it's for good. You can't change your mind half way through and decide you made the wrong choice after all. It will mean a change in career, lifestyle and priorities. Are you willing to do that for two children you barely know?"

Scully thought she knew Jacob better than she knew most people; she knew the way his small body cuddled against hers and the way his tears burnt at her skin like acid. The way his pain cut into her so deeply she thought she might bleed forever even after she ran out of blood.

"I was willing to do that for Emily," Scully said, licking her lips. Time felt slow and heavy like honey. "I'm willing to do that for them."

---

It was surprising how quickly things moved after she realised what she'd wanted all along. Barely past one o'clock on the Saturday morning that had started off no more unusual than most, and Scully was sitting in her mother's living room with sweaty palms and a pounding heart.

The doorbell rang, and she swallowed convulsively.

"I'll get it, Dana," her mother said, resting a hand on her shoulder to keep her in her seat.

Scully didn't stay seated though; her heart was racing and her blood was pumping, and sitting still felt far too relaxed for the emotion pumping through her body. She felt like she should be chasing down a suspect or hunting aliens with Mulder, not sitting in a flowery living room with a silver tea service and waiting for a visitor.

"Agent Scully?" a familiar voice asked.

The young woman standing in her mother's living room looked no different to how she'd looked a few hours before at the Logan's home.

"Please," Scully murmured, trying to smile, "call me Dana."

Alice nodded, "I'm happy if you call me Alice," she said easily.

"Have a seat," Scully said, waving toward the sofa.

Alice sat down, making herself comfortable on the floral sofa. "This is your mother's home, I take it?"

"Yes," Scully said, "can I get you a drink?"

"Tea is lovely, thanks," Alice said. "While you're busy, I wanted to apologise for this morning."

"I'm sorry?" Scully asked, pouring the amber liquid into two delicate porcelain cups. "Why are you apologising?"

"I was fairly rude and careless with several of the things I said in front of the children," Alice said awkwardly, trying to smile. "It's just… you caught me off guard. I'm not as new to the welfare system as Agent Mulder and yourself seem to think I am, and in my experience I've found that most law enforcers are only interested in the children as a possible witness or piece of evidence. I was worried that might be yours and Agent Mulder's motives for wanting to keep the children in your custody."

The words, while not meant maliciously or personally, stung Scully's sense of morals, and she stared coldly at the young woman. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can assure you that neither myself nor Agent Mulder would ever use anybody that way, much less use children like that."

Alice smiled tightly. "I'm saying I'm sorry for jumping to those conclusions," the woman said, "but you have to understand that it's not the first time I've had those sorts of requests for the reasons I've just outlined to you. I worry about the children, and I don't want to see them hurt that way."

Scully nodded. "I understand. It's why I asked you to stop by."

Alice's gaze, Scully was surprised to discover, was almost unnerving. Her eyes, appearing so innocent, studied Scully intently, as though she was trying to learn Scully's secrets and motives. "I'm guessing you're about to do ask or suggest something even more unusual that your original request this morning," Alice said finally.

"How do you mean?" Scully questioned.

To her surprise, Alice smiled broadly. "The problem with people like yourself who work in the law enforcement field, is you can't help deflecting questions with more questions," Alice said, almost chuckling. "I'm not interrogating you, Dana. You asked me to stop by because you had something you wanted to discuss with me, so there's no need to start getting so defensive."

Scully blushed and smiled self consciously, suddenly at ease with the young woman. "I want to adopt them," Scully announced, shocking herself with her bluntness. She felt, looking at Alice, she might have surprised the younger woman too.

"Why?"

Scully faltered. Why? No one had ever asked her _why_ she wanted to adopt a child before. "I… what do you mean?"

"Why do you want to adopt these children?" Alice said patiently.

To fill something in herself, Scully thought tiredly. She needed something more, and the children needed something more. It was an ideal solution to a problem with no other feasible happy endings.

"I don't want to pry, Dana," Alice said gently, "but you have to understand that I need to know you want the best for these children. Adoption isn't easy on either the parents who are adopting, or the children who get adopted, and I don't want you to have the wrong idea about what it entails."

"I've been through all this already," Scully admitted. "I… I tried to adopt a little girl almost two years ago."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Tried?"

Scully nodded. "Emily… Emily suffered from a rare autoimmune haemolytic disease, and she died before the adoption was approved or rejected."

"Do you have any ideas as to how the court was looking at your application?" Alice asked.

"I don't think I would have been awarded custody," Scully said honestly. "I was emotional at the time, Emily was tangled up in an investigation which I was technically not supposed to be involved in, but I wouldn't listen and I think it may have harmed my chances."

Alice nodded. "Any other comments?"

"I was advised that being a single working mother with a dangerous career was also not a great mark in my favour," Scully said dryly.

"It's not," Alice said honestly. "If you've already had one 'brush' with adoption services, and it wasn't a good one, you're going to have to fight for these kids tooth and nail, Dana. You're going to have to sacrifice and convince and prove that you have these kids' best interests in mind, and that it's not just for your sake that you want to adopt."

The words, hard and cold though kindly delivered, solidified a small niggle that had been brushing at Scully's conscience since she'd first held Jacob in her arms.

"I'll have to leave the Bureau, won't I?"

"Field work, yes," Alice said. "You could take on an internal role, or a teaching role, or administrative… but field work, travel and direct line of fire will have to step back completely."

Mulder. Mulder would not take this decision easily, she realised with a cold stab of dread. Chances were he'd probably take it personally. Scully was shocked she'd already made the decision; it seemed to easy and too quick to really be a good decision, but it made her feel better knowing what she had to do.

"What else?" Scully asked quietly.

Alice studied her. "I won't lie to you, Dana, you're going to give up a lot and I can't guarantee you'll get the children."

"I want this," Scully whispered. "I really, really want this."

"Why don't you have a child of your own?" Alice asked quietly.

"I can't… I can't have children," Scully managed, closing her eyes. "Adoption is my only chance, and since before Emily I've been feeling a void."

"What about your work? It must be important to you."

"It is," Scully agreed. "I love my work. But it's not as important to me anymore; it hasn't been for some time."

"Why not?"

The questions were harder than Scully had thought they would be. "My sister was murdered several years ago. I was abducted against my will by the same people. I had to bring the people to justice for what they did."

"Did you?"

Scully smiled. "No, I didn't. But I feel that justice was served accordingly, and while it's not easy to accept what happened or accept the fact that my sister isn't coming home, I can move on with my life knowing that I did what was needed of me and the work that was important to me is completed."

Alice was silent a long time, still studying Scully. Scully didn't like the silence; it felt oppressive and accusing.

"Your mother has a beautiful home," Alice remarked suddenly. "It's not your home though."

"No," Scully said, smiling.

"If you are going to look after two children, Dana, you'll need a house. You'll equipment for them, and clothes, and toys and a yard for them to play in. You'd need to be near a school and think about planning for their future."

"I'd do that," Scully said emphatically.

"You'll also need an income, Dana, unless you have a lot of money stashed away somewhere."

"You don't sound convinced," Scully realised.

"I believe you when you say you have these children's best interests at heart," Alice said sincerely. "I believe you when you say you'd do anything for them. Unfortunately, I also know what it's like for a single mother to try and raise two children and give them the best. Children are expensive, and require a lot of time. I'm not saying you won't succeed, but given your history with adoption services and the fact that you would still be a single mother who'd have to look after two very young children, I don't think you have a good chance of winning the battle, Dana."

Scully closed her eyes, refusing to let Alice see her cry.

"What if I wasn't single?" she asked. "What if I had someone who wanted the children as much as I do?"

"You're not married," Alice pointed out. "Unless it's a legal marriage, a partner doesn't count in the eyes of the law."

"Are you busy tomorrow night?" Scully asked, surprised at how calm she felt inside.

"No," Alice said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Dana, you can't just find someone and ask him to marry you. You have to have proof of a long and stable relationship. And," the woman added with an uncanny foresight, "it can't just be a marriage of convenience. Those end up causing more harm than good, and I won't allow the children to be subjected to the unnecessary trauma of a divorce when things turn messy."

"Well," Scully said conversationally, "if I loved him, it wouldn't be a marriage of convenience, would it?"

Alice, Scully was relieved to see, looked somewhat reassured at that statement. Scully, on the other hand, felt a wild bubble of long overdue panic pop and splatter her insides with cold, dark fear. What if it was the wrong choice? What if he didn't agree? What if she wasn't right for the children?

"Okay," Alice said, "I'll stop by again tomorrow night."

Scully felt herself smiling and rising to her feet. "Okay," she said, still smiling. "Please, Alice, I really want this to work."

"I hope for your sake, and the children's, it does," Alice said, smiling as well.

Alice said goodbye, and Scully was left in her mother's sitting room panicked and scared and fighting to keep the tiniest flicker of hope alive inside.

God she hoped she could talk Mulder into agreeing.

---

_Reviews, please? Likes, dislikes, comments, thoughts, whatever? I'm an attention-seeker who really likes reviews. Feed me!_


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

Mulder had barely knocked on Mrs. Scully's front door when the woman herself pulled it open and stepped onto the front step, almost bowling Mulder over.

"Fox!" she exclaimed, obviously surprised by his presence on her doorstep. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were standing right there!"

"Apparently not," Mulder said, smiling at her. "Dana is here, isn't she?" he asked politely, stepping aside so the older woman could walk down her steps without having to worry about knocking him over.

"Oh yes," Mrs. Scully nodded, a small smile touching her lips. It wasn't a believable smile though, Mulder thought, and felt another dart of apprehension shiver through him. "She's inside, Fox, just head on in. She's expecting you."

Mulder smiled his thanks and went inside as told by Mrs. Scully. He found Scully in the sitting room, lost in thought and apparently oblivious to his presence in the house. Pausing, Mulder took the opportunity to study her, feeling the bite of anxiety inside him soften somewhat as he gazed at her.

She was curled up on the sofa, shoes abandoned haphazardly in a way he'd come to recognise as Scully's sole concession to messiness. Her arms were wrapped loosely around her legs and her head rested comfortably against the backrest. A dreamy, thoughtful smile tugged at her lips and her eyes were far, far away. She looked small and tiny and decidedly unlike his usual business-like Scully.

"Scully." The word, a familiar name on his lips, caught the silk of her attention and she snapped her gaze to his face, the dreamer's eyes cast away in favour of her usual directness.

"You're early, Mulder," she said, uncurling herself and surreptitiously slipping her feet back into her pumps. Mulder wished she'd stayed curled up; it made her look soft and beautiful, like a woman ready to smile and kiss her love when he came home from work.

Perhaps, Mulder thought ruefully, it was better that she sat up straight and put her shoes back on – that way he wouldn't let his imagination run away with him while she tried to talk to him.

"It wasn't like I had a busy afternoon ahead of me," Mulder pointed out, settling himself on an armchair, still watching her. "Your mother almost ran me over on her way out."

"She went to buy some more milk and some baby food; she wasn't expecting me to turn up with two small children out of the blue."

"Where are the children?" he asked.

"Having a nap. They had a long, hard night, and I'm letting them sleep for a while."

A smile tugged at her lips, but there was a wariness in her expression. He wasn't used to seeing that her eyes when she spoke to him; its presence unnerved him now, and the anxiety rose again as sharply as before.

"What did you want to see me for?" he asked, biting the bit.

She sighed, and chewed on her lips, her brow creasing with small furrows of concentration. Her blue eyes dropped from his and focused on a spot in the carpet he couldn't see. "I asked you before, a few years ago, to be a character witness for me when I wanted to adopt," she said quietly, her voice low.

Mulder closed his eyes; he'd known it would come to this. The minute she'd wanted to take the children home with her, he'd known. Scully got clucky and loved children, but she'd never ever crossed boundaries of professionalism and formed attachments to children the way she had with these two. "You want to adopt the Logans," he said quietly, opening his eyes again.

She nodded, still not looking at him.

"You're going to leave the X Files," he continued, quietly. "Possibly even the Bureau. Is that really what you want, Scully? You want to leave me so badly?"

"I don't want to leave you, Mulder," she protested quickly, her eyes meeting his defiantly. "It's not you, and please don't think this is my way of telling you I don't want to see you again." A funny smile tugged at her lips, but she hid it quickly. Still, its momentary presence intrigued and confused Mulder, and he waited for her to continue.

"You know I want children, Mulder," she said finally. "I've wanted children for a long time, and you know I can't have them myself."

It was a knowledge that hurt Mulder deeply, and he nodded, trying to keep the guilt from his eyes for her sake.

"I thought Emily was my last chance of having my own child. She wasn't," Scully said simply.

"Why these children?" Mulder wanted to know. "Why now?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest. I just… I don't like the thought of not always being there for them," she said finally.

"When did you decide this?" Mulder asked finally.

"Not long ago," Scully admitted. "Less than an hour ago, actually." The abruptness surprised him; he'd known what Scully was planning, no matter how subconsciously, the minute she'd voiced her desire, but for her to have confirmed that decision so quickly absolutely stunned him. Scully wasn't given to rashness or impulsiveness usually; careful weighing of options was her standard.

Then again, he mused, several times over the years she'd caught him completely off guard with unexpected decisions made at the drop of a hat. Perhaps, he thought, there was a devil of impulsiveness inside Scully that even her strict control couldn't quite keep reigned in. The thought made him smile, and she looked at him curiously.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just not used to you making such big decisions so quickly," he said honestly, meeting her gaze squarely. "If you want me as a character witness again for you, Scully, you know I wouldn't hesitate."

"Even if it means my leaving the X Files or the Bureau?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "If it's what you want, Scully, I'll help you get it anyway you want."

Again, that small, quivery little smile lurked around her lips. "Are you certain you mean that, Mulder?" she asked finally, her gaze skittering away from his.

"Of course," he told her honestly. "You know I'd do anything for you."

"You shouldn't say things like that, Mulder, unless you really mean it. You never know what someone might take it in their head to ask you to do," she warned him.

"What's the worse you could ask me to do?" he asked lightly.

"Marry me," she said simply.

He stared at her. "What?"

She licked her lips, her eyes refusing to meet his. "I spoke with Alice this afternoon, the social worker from this morning, remember? And she said that if I wanted to stand a chance in hell of getting the children I needed to be in a stable, long term relationship, and it had better get to the marriage stage really quickly because in the eyes of the law a de facto relationship won't help me based on my past history with the adoption services and-"

"Scully," he interrupted her babble, holding up a hand. "Slow down, I can't follow what you're saying."

"I tried to adopt once before, Mulder, and you know what the judge said," she whispered. "A single woman with a dangerous career doesn't look good as a prospective parent. Especially, when I've already tried to adopt and almost had the application rejected."

"You don't know they would have refused to let you adopt Emily," Mulder pointed out.

She smiled, but it wasn't a bitter expression as it might have been a few days ago. "I know as well as you do, Mulder, that I wouldn't have succeeded in getting Emily."

Mulder didn't like to agree with her, because he knew it had to hurt her to know that she would have been denied her own daughter.

"So you want me to marry you so you can adopt the children," Mulder simplified.

She nodded. "I know it's asking a lot of you, Mulder, and I won't blame if you say no, but I need to be able to prove to the judge that my husband is someone I've been involved with for a long time in a stable relationship, and I need my character witnesses to support that story."

Husband. Wife. Marry Scully. The words played around in his mind, dredging forth images of daydreams where Scully wore a white dress and smiled at him lovingly. Silly fantasies he'd tried to convince himself he'd never really had or entertained, even though the idea of making Scully his was something he'd played with for a long, long time.

"Mulder?"

"You want to lie to the judge, our friends and your family?" he asked her, finally catching her gaze with his.

She smiled ruefully, looking guilty. "It doesn't sound very good when you phrase it like that," she admitted.

"I just want to make sure you know what you're doing," Mulder told her. "What will you do in a few years time if you decide you don't want to be married to me? Or you made a mistake adopting?"

"Why does everything think I'll decide I've made a mistake?" she demanded suddenly. "Do you think I'm making a mistake, Mulder?"

"I can't tell you that, Scully," he said reasonably. "You're the only one who can decide that. I just don't want you to regret giving up your career."

"I won't."

"So… being married," he said casually, still holding her gaze. "What do we have to do?"

"You'll do it then?" she asked, almost disbelieving.

"I told you I'd do anything for you, Scully," he pointed out.

"But marriage is… it's a commitment I can't expect of you, Mulder. What if you fall in love with someone, and you're tied down to me when you don't want to be?"

"That won't happen," Mulder said firmly, trying not to smile.

"You can't know that."

"Yes, I can," he said. "How about you? What if you meet someone and suddenly I'm in the way?"

"That won't happen," Scully said promptly.

Mulder raised an eyebrow, and Scully giggled nervously.

"So, Scully, are we engaged?"

She looked uncertain. "I think so," she said finally. "Mulder… you don't have to do this."

"I know," he said quietly, standing up and moving over to sit beside her on the sofa. Her hand, when he took it in his, was small and cool, her skin soft and pale. "Scully, this is a big decision for you too, and I don't want you to regret making it tomorrow morning. I'm going to go now, and give you some time to really think it through."

"What about you?" Scully, squeezing her fingers tightly with his.

"Same applies to me," he said, even though he knew his mind was already made up. Not like there had even been much to consider, he mused silently.

"What about the children?" she asked. "Do you even want children?"

Mulder smiled. "I've thought about having children," he admitted. She looked surprised by the confession. Mulder lifted his free hand to her face and tucked a stray auburn lock behind her ear, surprising her even more. "You're not the only one that sometimes has daydreams of white picket fences and dogs and Saturday morning soccer games," he told her gently.

"You never said anything," Scully said quietly.

He shrugged. "You never asked."

"I should have," she whispered.

"As much as I would have liked children, they were only a bonus," Mulder admitted. "If I fell in love, and we couldn't have children or the woman I loved didn't want children, I'd be okay with that too."

"What if you find her?" Scully pressed. "What if you find the woman you love in the future?"

He'd already found her, Mulder thought, smiling. "I don't think I'll find another woman to love," he said honestly.

Scully nodded, her eyes grave. "If you're sure, Mulder."

"I am," he said. "I care about you more than anyone else, Scully, and I'll happily marry you if it means you get what you want."

"Thank you," she whispered.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and tucked her against him for a hug. "And," he pointed out, "I get to have the kids and the Saturday morning soccer games too this way."

She chuckled against him, wriggling as she kicked off her shoes and then curled up against him on the sofa. He held her for a while longer, until they heard the sound of Mrs. Scully's car in the driveway.

"See you tomorrow," he said, pulling away and standing up.

There was a softness in her eyes he wasn't used to seeing there, but found he liked a lot. If Mrs. Scully hadn't appeared in the doorway, her arms laden with grocery bags, he might even have tempted fate and kissed Scully on the lips.

Instead, he helped Mrs. Scully with her shopping and said goodbye to both woman, stepping into the brisk fall afternoon with a smile on his lips and a spring in his step.

He was going to marry Scully, and even if she didn't love him yet, there were ways and means of winning a woman over, especially if she had his ring on her finger.

Ring, he thought suddenly, he had to get her an engagement ring!

---

_Lots more to come – I promise. Will update soon!_


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

Lucy started stirring a few minutes after Mulder left; Scully was almost impressed with the baby's timing. The little girl was warm and cuddly after her nap, dark hazel eyes blinking sleepily at Scully. Scully had expected a fuss or confusion over with the strange woman picking her up and cuddling her, but Lucy was apparently at ease with strangers and went quite happily into Scully's arms.

"You, Lucy, are in need of a change," Scully told the baby, catching a whiff of a not entirely pleasant odour emanating from Lucy's diaper-clad backside. Lucy gurgled sleepily in agreement, clutching at Scully's sweater with chubby fingers.

The mess in Lucy's diaper was almost worse than some of Scully's cadavers, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"It's not too late to change your mind," her mother said from the door way.

Scully looked up from her diaper changing, and smiled in amusement at her mother. "This does make me pause and really think about what I want to get myself into," Scully admitted.

Her mother smiled, and there was an unusual glimmer of companionship in her eyes. "It made me wonder," the older woman acknowledged. She stepped forward and offered Scully a baby-wipe, watching as Scully cleaned and powdered and redressed the baby.

"I didn't realise you were so good with babies."

"I got a lot of practise at med school," Scully shrugged, snapping the buttons on Lucy's romper shut. "There we go," she told the baby, "all clean and ready for a play."

Lucy grinned, revealing two small front teeth. "Oh," Scully said in surprise, examining the teeth with her finger. "I need to get you a teething ring."

"Ah, the good times," Maggie said dryly. "Give me the baby, Dana, and wake Jacob. If you let him sleep too much you'll never get him to bed tonight."

"Thanks, Mom," Scully smiles, handing over the infant. She was a little disappointed to see Lucy go so easily to her mother, but then reasoned that if Lucy had accepted her so happily, she was bound to accept most people without a fuss. But maybe subconsciously she'd wanted the baby to just take to her more than everyone else even though it was unreasonable.

Unlike Lucy, who'd awakened happily and accepted Scully's affection with a slobbery grin, Jacob flinched away from Scully warily.

"Where's my mom?" he demanded, almost panicked.

"Jacob," Scully whispered, biting on her lip. She started to say more, but memory flooded the little boy's features and he stared at her with horror. "Oh, Jacob," she murmured, reaching for him.

"No!" he shouted, slapping at her arms and pushing her away. "NO! I want my Mom! Where's my Mommy? I want my Mommy!"

He fought her again, just like he did hours ago in the dark hiding hole he'd found in the attic, and she let him struggle and fight her until he collapsed against her again, his skin hot and flushed and damp with sweat against hers.

"I'm so sorry, honey," she told him, kissing his damp forehead. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I want my Mom," he cried, clutching at her again with desperate fingers.

"I know," she told him, rocking him, "I know, and I'm sorry she's not here."

She rocked him until he settled, and then smoothed the hair back from his face. His blue eyes were red and his pale face streaked with tears. "I can't bring your Mommy back, Jacob," Scully said quietly, "no one can change what happened. But I'm going to do my best to look after you, okay?"

"Are you going to be my new Mommy?" he asked, looking worried.

"You don't need to worry about a new Mommy yet," she told him, rubbing his back. "You'll still miss your Mommy, and I'll look after you, okay?"

He didn't look convinced.

"Do you want me to look after you?"

"Who are you?" he asked, looking confused.

"I'm Dana, remember?" she said gently. "Do you want to say hello to Lucy?"

"Where's Lucy?" he demanded, almost panicked.

"She's in the kitchen with my Mom," Scully calmed him. "I think she's helping to bake some chocolate chip cookies. Did you want to help too?"

The idea of chocolate chip cookies evidently sounded appealing, despite Jacob's obvious distrust and wariness, and before long the desire to help bake and see his sister won out over any pressing fears. "Can I eat them?"

"After dinner," she promised him.

"How long until dinner?"

"Not long," Scully lied. "First though, we need to get you cleaned up, young man."

He gazed at her steadily, the look in his eyes strangely contemplative for such a young child. "Are we going home?"

"We're staying here, for now. Is that okay?"

"Yes," he decided. "I don't want the bad man to find Lucy."

Scully hugged him. "He won't find you or Lucy here," she promised, kissing his forehead again. "Now come on, let's get you cleaned up, and then we go help with the cookies."

"I can make big cookies," he told her as she helped him off the bed and led him to the bathroom. "Really big ones!"

It probably wasn't the best thing to distract him, Scully thought, but it would be easier to talk to him when he trusted her a little more. Maybe she should ask Alice how to handle what Jacob had seen, and what to expect. Maybe Alice would have some advice on the best things to do.

---

Scully had flour all over her black suit; small handprints where Jacob had constantly grabbed hold of her throughout the afternoon, as though he was making sure she really was there and not just a ghost of his imagination. She was touched that he stuck to her side like glue, but a little concerned at how wary he was with her mother.

It didn't Margaret Scully long to win most children over; having raised four of her own and being involved with numerous church groups for children, she had long ago honed in her children skills and had most of them loving her hugs and tickles within a few minutes of meeting her. Jacob, however, seemed immune to Maggie's charms, and Scully wasn't entirely certain that was a good thing.

Initially she'd felt a little proud and smug that the boy seemed to prefer her, but it didn't take her long to realise her selfish emotions were stopping her from seeing that the boy's preference of her was stemmed more out of necessity and the fact that she'd saved him, rather than him preferring her company over her mother's.

Still, she thought as his hand wrapped itself in the once spotless material of her trousers again, he trusted her and even though he wasn't overly communicative or responsive to Maggie, he'd made a certain amount of progress during their afternoon of cooking and was now at least talking to her.

"Don't worry about it, Dana," her mother told her at one point, when Jacob was engrossed with making the biggest chocolate chip cookie ever, "he just needs to get comfortable again, and then he'll settle down. Once that happens, he should start behaving more like a normal four year old."

"He's been through a huge trauma though," Scully whispered, watching as his brow creased in concentration and his fingers struggled to place extra chocolate chips in the perfect pattern. "What if he never gets over it?"

"It's been my experience that if you give children enough love and stability and support during a difficult period, they usually turn out okay," Maggie said carefully. "He's still young enough that I think he can move on from this. He might never be as out-going as he was before, and it might always take him a long time to learn to trust people, but you can't say for certain that he wasn't a withdrawn child before this. You can't look at Lucy and decide that because of what Jacob saw or didn't see, he now doesn't trust people like he used to."

"What if that is the case?" Scully argued.

Maggie shrugged. "It's a horrible thing to go through, Dana, but you can't change what happened. All you can do, if you're sure it's what you want to do, is love that little boy as much as possible, and show him that you can always be trusted to be there for him. If you can do that, he'll be confident enough to live a normal life, because he'll know that you'll always be there for him."

Scully stared at her mother with amazement, and a trace of doubt. "How do you know all this?"

Maggie smiled. "I've learnt things while I volunteered at church and community centres," she said simply. "You'd be surprised at the amount of difference one constant source of love and trust can make in a child's life."

Scully nodded slowly. "I hope you're right, Mom."

"Me too," Maggie agreed. "It won't be easy, Dana, you'll probably have to help him through a lot of things like nightmares and fears, and maybe even anger or guilt."

"You'll help me, won't you?" Scully whispered.

"Of course," Maggie said, wrapping Dana in her arms and hugging her. "You just need to make sure you get to keep them."

"I'm working on that," Scully promised.

Maggie, to Scully's surprise, smiled. "I take it Fox is helping you?"

Scully, to her horror, blushed. "Yes."

"Good," Maggie said, as the doorbell rang. "I'll go get that, you save some of that cookie dough from Lucy."

Lucy, Scully saw when she turned back to the children, had decided that raw cookie dough was far more appealing than the cheese and fruit pieces in front of her, and had demanded some of it. Apparently Jacob wasn't one to refuse his sister anything yet, and had passed her a fairly large chunk quite happily.

"What are you doing, Lucy!" Scully grinned, smiling at the sight of a dough smeared baby gumming happily on a large wedge of uncooked cookie.

"She likes cookie dough," Jacob told her happily.

"I can see that!" Scully told him, picking Lucy up out of the old highchair Maggie had dug out of her attic, and kissing the gummy cheek affectionately.

"Look at my cookie, Dana! It's the biggest bestest cookie!"

"It's huge!" Scully agreed. "You even decorated it!"

"It's a happy cookie," Jacob nodded. "Can we cook it now? Please?"

"Look who's dropped by for another visit," Maggie said, reappearing in the kitchen, followed by Mulder.

Jacob forgot about his cookie, scrambled off the chair he was kneeling on, and ducked behind Scully, wrapping his doughy hands in her trousers again and burying his head against the back of her legs.

"I thought you were only stopping by tomorrow, Mulder," Scully said, trying to remain calm as Lucy grabbed hold of her with grubby fingers and yanked gleefully. Scully grunted with pain, and tried to pry Lucy's fingers out of her now doughy hair.

"Apparently I can't leave you alone and unsupervised," Maggie said dryly, reaching for Lucy.

The baby, recognising the new adult who spoilt her with cuddles and kisses and treats, shrieked her delight and wriggled, almost launching herself out of Scully's arms and onto the floor.

"Easy!" Maggie smiled, catching the baby. "I'll take her, Dana, and go get her cleaned up."

"Thanks, Mom," Scully said, happily passing over the baby.

"You look like you've been having fun, Scully," Mulder said blandly from the doorway.

She eyed him pointedly. "Not one word, Mulder."

"Would I say anything about the fact that you have more flour on you than I've ever seen in one place, and that your hair is caked in enough cookie dough to be cooked and sold as the biggest cookie ever?"

"You're wrong," Scully said smugly. "Jacob's made the biggest, bestest cookie ever."

"The bestest?" Mulder asked, teasing.

Scully smiled, blushing. "Show Mulder your cookie, Jacob."

The little boy refused to let go of her legs; clutching at her trousers even tighter.

"I think you're lying, Scully," Mulder said, eyes twinkling. "I don't think Jacob made the biggest, bestest cookie."

"I did so!" Jacob said indignantly from behind Scully.

"Did not," Mulder disagreed.

"Did too!"

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Mulder!" Scully said, exasperated. "He did too."

"I don't believe you," Mulder shook his head. "I don't see no biggest, bestest cookie."

"It's right there!" Jacob said loudly, poking his head out from behind Scully and pointing at the table.

"Where?" Mulder asked, pretending to search the table.

"There!" Jacob said again, torn between hiding from the strange man and showing off his biggest, bestest cookie.

"I think you'll have to show him, Jacob," Scully whispered to Jacob. "Mulder isn't always very clever, see, so he needs your help."

Jacob hesitated, and then grabbed Scully's hand tightly with his; Scully didn't say anything about the gummy state of his fingers. Instead, she let him tug her along behind him as he warily shuffled his way toward the table where Mulder was now standing.

"There," the little boy said as Scully helped him back onto his chair. "That one."

Mulder winked at Scully, and turned his attention to the cookie. "Oh, wow!" he exclaimed loudly. "You're right, that's the biggest, bestest cookie ever. Did you really make that?"

"Yes," Jacob nodded. "Look, it's got a happy face!"

"That's so cool," Mulder enthused. "It must have taken you a long time."

"No," Jacob boasted. "I did it real quick. Ask Dana; I'm good at making big cookies!"

"He's very good," Dana agreed.

Jacob, forgetting his apparent fear and distrust of Mulder, let go of Dana's hand and pointed at the chocolate chips forming a lopsided smile. "See? This one is good, it's got lots of choc'lit."

"When it's cooked, can I try some of it?" Mulder asked politely.

Jacob considered him. "Are you Dana's daddy?"

Scully spluttered at the shocked expression on Mulder's face.

"Not yet," Scully said calmly – having a young nephew who referred to Bill as Tara's 'Daddy' meant she knew exactly what the young boy meant. "He will be soon."

"Daddy?" Mulder repeated silently, above Jacob's head.

"Husband," Scully translated just as silently with her lips.

Husband. Something inside her twisted and jolted sharply, her heart thudding erratically out of beat. Husband. Oh god, he was going to be her _husband_. Maybe.

Mulder smiled. "Do you mind if I'm Dana's Daddy?" he asked Jacob, looking down at the little boy now watching them intently. Scully was glad he wasn't looking at her anymore; she wasn't sure she had full control of herself.

Husband.

"Do you like dogs?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," Mulder said, nodding. "We're going to get a dog."

"Really?" Scully questioned, raising her eyebrow.

"Yes," Mulder said, grinning. "And a cat, and we'll have a nice white fence around our garden."

"We have a green fence," Jacob told him. "And my Daddy's going to build me a tree house."

"Really high up?" Mulder questioned, wisely ignoring the present tense the little boy still used.

Jacob nodded. "Yup. But Mommy is scared of trees, so we're going to build a small one first so she can have one too."

"That's pretty cool. Maybe you can help me build Dana a tree house too."

"Okay," Jacob said. "But I need to cook my cookie first."

"Yes," Mulder said, "you do."

Scully eyed the large mass of cookie dough stuck to the table, and sighed to herself. How on earth were they going to lift that cookie off the table without breaking it, let alone fit it in a tray?

Jacob watched as Mulder helped her slide a knife under the biggest, bestest cookie, and then they placed it on a large oven tray all by itself.

"Now," Scully said, turning to Jacob. "While that's cooking, Jacob, you can go upstairs to Maggie and ask her to help you clean yourself up a bit."

"But I haven't been outside so I'm not dirty," Jacob disagreed.

"You're plenty messy," Scully told him firmly.

"So are you," Jacob told her.

Mulder snorted loudly behind her. "Yes, I am, which is why I'll be cleaning up after you're cleaned up. But first, I need to clean up the kitchen."

Jacob surveyed the mess. "Yes," he agreed. "It's very messy."

"Off you go, Scout," Mulder said, reaching for Jacob. Scully almost stopped him, but when Jacob accepted Mulder's lift off the chair and ran out to the stairs without a fuss, she stared at him in amazement.

"How," she asked, "did you do that?"

"Do what?" Mulder asked, confused.

"He wouldn't let my mother touch him all day, and you waltz in here and five minutes later he talks to you, likes you, and lets you touch him."

Mulder shrugged, his cheeks slightly pink with embarrassment, but she could detect a hint of pleasure in his eyes too. "I'm your Daddy," he said instead, eyes sparkling. "I think that counts as something."

Scully raised her eyebrows. "You're not my Daddy yet, Mulder," she informed him.

"Almost," he said instead. "I got something this afternoon."

"What?" Scully asked.

Mulder shrugged. "Well, it's meant for this incredibly neat, tidy and professional woman I know who just happens to be an FBI agent and doctor."

Scully eyed him suspiciously. "Mulder?"

"Only, I seem to have lost her," he continued, grinning at her.

"What do you mean you lost her?"

"Well, I don't see any neat or tidy women around. Do you, Scully?"

She opened her mouth to argue with him, and then looked at herself.

"You look very cute covered in flour and cookie dough," he told her. "Almost good enough to eat."

Her face flamed at his words, and she stared at him stunned.

"While I've got you speechless," he added, grinning again as he dug in his pocket. "Here. Now it's official."

She fumbled with the small box he shoved into her hands, finally opening it to reveal a plain gold ring with a single, small diamond set in the metal band. "Mulder?" she whispered, looking at the ring and looking at him.

"You can't be engaged and not have a ring," he said quietly. "Do you like it?"

Her eyes were blurring; she tried to tell herself that she wasn't crying. Even though the ring was beautiful and perfect, none of it was real. He was marrying her because she'd asked him to as a favour. Friend to friend. He'd said himself he wasn't going to fall in love with anyone again, so that's all they were destined to be. Friends.

"Scully?" He sounded worried now, and she knew she should say something to tell him it was okay, it was perfect, but she couldn't speak. Instead, her floury, doughy fingers shook slightly as she fumbled with the beautiful ring and tried to slide it onto her ring finger. His clean, graceful hands helped her, and the ring slid into place beautifully.

"It's perfect," she whispered, smiling up at him.

"Good," he whispered. He was awfully close to her face, Scully thought, staring into his eyes. And then he was kissing her lightly, brushing her lips with his own while his hands curled around hers, rubbing the tops of her hands gently with his thumbs.

"Well, what's going on here?"

They jumped apart guiltily; Scully was horrified to feel her cheeks burning again in a hot blush. "Dana, is there something you'd like to tell me?" her mother asked, a smile on her lips as he eyes rested on Dana's left hand with a knowing look.

"Mrs. Scully," Mulder said uncertainly, "Dana and I are engaged."

Maggie grinned broadly. "Good," she said. "Dana's daddy indeed."

"I told you!" Jacob piped up from beside Maggie.

Mulder wrapped his arms around Scully, and she buried her head against his chest, grateful to be able to hide her flaming face from their apparent audience. The only thing wrong with this situation, other than the dough in her hair and flour on her suit, was that Mulder didn't love her.

She breathed in the smell of his aftershave, spicey and fresh and mingled with the scent she'd come to recognise as uniquely Mulder, and closed her eyes as his hand rubbed up and down her back. He was marrying her, and maybe that would be enough. It was, she consoled herself, more than she'd ever dared to hope for anyway.

---

_Comments, thoughts, reviews? Anyone? Am not above begging!_


	6. Chapter 6

**note: **I apologise this has taken so long to post, but has been screwy and I couldn't get on. Thank you for all the fantastic reviews – I really enjoyed them and felt very flattered. There's going to be a lot more ship and stuff in the upcoming chapters, so stay tuned!

And, you know, reviewing is good ;)

* * *

**6.**

"I didn't think that FBI partners were allowed to be involved," Alice said between mouthfuls of spaghetti.

"Well, it's not technically against the rules, but it isn't exactly encouraged," Mulder pointed out, shooting out a hand and steadying a glass that had gotten within Lucy's questing hands. He pulled it away from the baby and passed her another wedge of cheese instead. "Scully and I didn't advertise our relationship, but no one said anything because they've never had a problem with the work we've done."

"And no one's suspected for the last four years?" Alice asked doubtfully.

"It's going on five now," Mulder corrected.

"I suspected," Maggie said, surprising Mulder. He glanced at her, and then looked at Scully who shrugged her shoulders. "Don't look so shocked, Fox. I know my daughter, and I think I know you well enough by now."

Mulder blushed slightly, and looked at his plate. Either Maggie knew more about his feelings than he thought she should, or she was pretending to have noticed things so it didn't look like they'd 'left her completely out of the loop', despite the fact that in reality nothing had actually happened. Mulder didn't like lying to Maggie, and he didn't think he could quite meet her eyes because of the lie he and Scully were trying to live.

"You have to admit though, it does look a bit suspicious and convenient of you to suddenly announce your involvement and engagement now, after all this time," Alice persisted.

Scully surprised him, and snorted. "Well, the office pool has been saying that we've been doing it for years. I think we'd shock them more if we _weren't_ involved than if we suddenly announce we _are_ involved. I don't think anyone at the Bureau will doubt for one second that we aren't serious."

It was true, office gossip had them screwing before they even met, but Mulder wasn't as convinced as Scully that confirmation of their 'relationship' would be as accepted as Scully seemed to believe it would be.

"I'm serious, Mulder," Scully said, staring at him. "I've heard them talking, especially in the ladies bathrooms."

"You never said anything."

Scully shrugged. "It didn't really seem important. If they weren't gossiping about whether or not we were doing it, and for how long, I'm sure they'd find something else to gossip about in terms of what we got up to."

"What were you doing?" Jacob asked curiously.

Scully blushed and bit her lips.

"Working," Mulder lied.

"I bet you were working," Alice muttered.

Mulder looked over at her, suddenly remembering why she was here, and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so now you believe it," he grinned.

"Touche," she said, smiling as she raised her glass to her lips.

"Will this help though?" Scully asked almost desperately.

Alice licked her lips, her eyes flicking cautiously to Jacob who appeared lost in contemplation of the pile of peas on his plate. "I think so," Alice said. "I can't do anything until Monday, but I'll arrange for someone from the agency to come see you as soon as possible. I've cleared your custody until the sentencing anyway, so you'll have a few months at least. If things run smoothly in those few months, and the agency is happy, I can't see why they'd reject the application."

"You sound more optimistic than you did yesterday," Scully cautiously.

"Well, like I said, marriage will make a big difference. It sounds unfair and horribly discriminating, but unfortunately that's the way our system operates. There's still counselling, and applications and interviews to come for all of you, but if you do what I suggested and step back from the frontlines, Dana, along with the relocating to a house, I think you'll stand a good chance."

"Dana, I don't want my peas," Jacob said loudly.

"Well, little boys who don't eat peas don't get ice cream," Scully said firmly.

"Mulder didn't eat peas."

"He's going to," Scully said, looking at Mulder.

Mulder really didn't like peas. At all. "Scully," he whined.

"Peas, Mulder." She handed him the bowel.

Mulder dropped three peas onto his plate.

"More."

He scowled darkly at Scully, and scooped a spoonful onto his plate. Still scowling, he raised a forkful to his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed the vile vegetable as quickly as possible.

"Now you," Scully said, turning to Jacob.

Jacob, Mulder was amused to see, tried hard to copy the scowl that had been on Mulder's face not even two seconds earlier. The little boy munched a mouthful, trying to scowl at the same time. Scully bit on her lip to try and keep her giggles in, and Maggie Scully discreetly turned her face from Jacob so he couldn't see her smile of amusement.

"Good boy," Scully praised when Jacob swallowed. "Mulder, I still see peas on your plate."

The scowl was back in place, all amusement gone as Mulder studied the peas on his plate. "You know, Scully, maybe I've changed my mind about being your Daddy."

"Mommy always makes daddy eat his carrots," Jacob said sympathetically, "and Daddy says she's mean."

"Your Daddy was a smart man," Mulder told Jacob.

"Peas, Mulder," Scully ordered, obviously fighting a grin. "And you too, Jacob."

Silently, the two men ate their peas.

---

"I want Mulder," Jacob said stubbornly.

"Mulder will be up in a minute," Scully said patiently. "He'll come and tuck you in once you've got your pajamas on and brushed your teeth."

"And a story?" Jacob implored Mulder directly.

"If you go upstairs with Dana and get ready for bed, I'll tell you a story," Mulder promised, smiling at Jacob.

"Okay," Jacob agreed happily, taking Dana's hand. "Can I play with the duckie again?" he asked as she led him upstairs.

"I have to say," Alice said from her seat on the sofa, "that I'm very impressed with how you and Dana handle the two children."

Mulder looked at her. "You sound surprised."

"Neither you or Dana have your own children," Alice said. "I'm just surprised at how well the two of you are taking to it."

"Jacob makes it easy, and no one could say that Lucy is a difficult baby," Mulder pointed out.

"Jacob's making it easy now," Alice agreed, "but the type of trauma he's been through has a horrible way of coming back to haunt children."

"What should we do?" Mulder asked her.

Alice shrugged. "Just watch for any changes. He might just present with nightmares that run their course, or he could become aggressive, or moody, or rude… Watching him tonight, I'd guess that he'll become very demanding and push the boundaries are far as you'll let him."

"Why?" Mulder questioned curiously.

"He'll want control over as much as possible. Once he believes that you and Dana will be there for him constantly, he'll want to control it to make sure he doesn't lose it again."

"What should we do?"

"Be firm, and don't give in to him," Alice suggested. "Of course, I could be wrong, and he might only have the nightmares. He might even be lucky and escape the trauma coming back to him. He's been lucky with you, Dana and Maggie. You've been wonderful to them both, and I'm very happy I decided to let them stay with Dana."

"You decided?" Mulder teased lightly.

"Yes," she said, grinning. "If you're going to be married soon, Mulder, you might realise that the woman is always right."

"The woman is always right anyway, whether I'm married or not," Mulder retorted.

"You learn fast," Alice chuckled.

They settled into silence, listening to the sound of running water upstairs and the faint murmur of Scully and Jacob chatting. "Yesterday he was so quiet and shy," Mulder said finally. "Today he's talkative and outgoing and friendly."

"A part of that is because of the care you've all given him," Alice said, nodding. "I really hope you get these kids, Mulder," she said quietly. "I promise you, I'll do everything I can to help you and Dana."

"Why?" Mulder asked, watching her. "What's changed your mind from viewing me and Scully as bad cops, to suddenly wanting us to be good parents?"

"The way the two of you are," Alice said finally. "I explained to Dana that I was scared you two wanted to use the children. It's happened before, and I imagine it will happen again. I just didn't want that to happen."

"We wouldn't do that," Mulder said quietly.

"I know that now," Alice smiled. "It's seeing people like you and Dana who take in children and care for them like your own, that reminds me why I do this job. There are so many children who aren't as lucky as Jacob and Lucy, and get passed from family to family with no care or love shown to them by the system or their own families. You and Dana care, and that's the most important gift you can give these children."

"My family wasn't a great family," Mulder admitted. "I'm scared of doing the wrong thing by the kids."

"As long as you do what's best for them, you'll be fine," Alice encouraged. "And like I said, I'll do what I can to make sure the two of you keep the children."

"Thank you, Alice," Mulder said quietly. "That means a lot."

Alice smiled. "And Mulder, I'm not going to pry as to whether or not this marriage is a marriage of convenience or not, but you and Dana better be prepared for some very, very personal questions on the nature of your relationship. Normally it's not questioned, but your circumstances are suspicious. If you two are being colourful with the truth, I'd suggest you get your stories very straight and very detailed."

Mulder glanced surreptitiously at Alice, who looked at him innocently. "I'm not blind, Mulder. I'm fairly certain other people aren't blind either, and it just takes the wrong questions for everything to fall apart."

"What was it?" Mulder asked finally.

"You check with each other before you say anything that might contradict something said before," Alice admitted. "Of course, you didn't hear that from me. As far as I'm aware, the two of you are very happily engaged and very much in love."

Mulder stared at her dumbly, until Scully appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "He wants his story now, Mulder."

"Think about it, Mulder," Alice said as he rose to his feet. She grinned at him brightly. "You might even want to make it fact as opposed to fiction."

Mulder grinned. "Fact would be good," he admitted with an uncharacteristic display of openness.

"I thought so," Alice agreed, grinning in return.

"What were you two talking about?" Scully asked on the way to the room Lucy and Jacob were sharing.

"I'll tell you later," Mulder said, stepping closer to her and savouring the light scent of perfume clinging to her skin.

She looked at him strangely, and then preceded him into the room where a little boy was waiting for his fairy tale.

Oh yes, he thought, the lingering scent tingling in his senses, fact would be very preferable to fiction.

---

_Please review!_


	7. Chapter 7

**7.**

Monday dawned grey and miserable, the air chillier than the previous few days. Scully lay in her bed for a few moments, not really looking at anything and stared into the dim morning thoughtfully. Within two minutes of waking, she heard the now familiar sounds of Lucy waking from her sleep across the hall.

Grateful for the rug underfoot, Scully pulled on a robe and jammed her feet into a pair of old slippers.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Scully whispered to the baby, picking her up and cuddling her close. Lucy gurgled happily against Scully, her cheeks still warm and flushed with the last vestiges of sleep. Scully inhaled the warm baby scent, and sighed a little at the unmistakable odour of a diaper that needed changing.

"Let's get you fixed up," Scully told the little girl, rocking her gently as she quietly gathered up diapers and clothes so she didn't disturb Jacob who was still sleeping deeply on his bed.

She had Lucy powdered and diapered and was warming some milk for her, when a light knock on the front door startled her. It wasn't even seven yet, who on earth was calling at this time of day?

Checking to make sure her robe was securely fastened, and that there was no baby mess on her, Scully pulled the milk off the heat and went to the front door.

"Mulder!" she said with surprise, stepping back to let him in. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Thought I'd come over and help with the kids," he explained, shrugging off his coat and hanging it on the coat stand. "Hello Lucy," he said, reaching for the baby and kissing her head affectionately.

Scully stared at him. "Mulder?"

"We're adopting the children together, Scully," he reminded her gently, tickling Lucy's tummy gently. The baby giggled in his arms and patted his cheeks with a happy sound. "I want to help."

"You don't have to do this Mulder," Scully pointed out, leading him back to the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Thanks," Mulder said, nodding. "I know I don't have to do it, Scully, but I want to do it. I told you, I want to have children too."

She poured him a steaming mug of coffee and fixed it the way she knew he liked it, before turning back to Lucy's milk. "I just… I'm finding it hard to accept that, Mulder," Scully admitted.

"Why? Plenty of men want to have families."

"You never said anything before though," Scully said again, stirring the milk and testing it against her skin. "It's just caught me a little from left field," she admitted.

"I'm not getting younger, Scully, and it's unlikely I'll start a family of my own in the future with things the way they are. This is an opportunity I never considered, and now that it's come up, I think maybe it's the best one for me. I'm not doing this out of some misguided sense of loyalty, Scully, I _want_ to do this. Almost as much as you do, I think."

She didn't think it was possible for him to want this to be real as much as she did, but she knew better than to contradict Mulder before he'd finished his coffee.

The milk was warm and she filled a bottle quickly for Lucy. "Here we go," she said, handing the bottle to Lucy. "Aren't you going to work today?"

"I am," Mulder agreed, nodding, "I wanted to tell you to take the day off though. I was going to explain to Skinner and start working on some of the logistics."

"Logistics?"

"Marriage license, house, things we'll need for the kids, positions in the Bureau for us."

"What do you mean positions in the Bureau?" Scully demanded, staring at him.

"You can't stay in the X Files, Scully, we both know that. And I don't want to stay there without you."

"So you're just letting them go? Just like that?"

"Yes."

"Mulder, the X Files are your life!" Scully almost shouted.

"No, they're not," he disagreed. "I wanted to find my sister, Scully. That was the entire motivation for me staying with the X Files. It became more than that over the years, but I think the biggest mysteries are solved or dead. I don't need the X Files anymore."

"What about Samantha?" Scully asked quietly.

"I think you know the answer to that," Mulder said, staring at the baby. "She would have come home a long time ago, if she could. I'll still search for her, Scully, but I need to have a life now too."

She stood next to him where he sat in the chair, and he surprised her by leaning against her and closing his eyes. "It's us now, Scully," he said quietly, pressing his face into her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair and held him too her, tracing patterns on his neck with her fingers. "It's just us."

In his arms, Lucy gurgled around her bottle and clumsily tangled her fingers in Scully's robe. Scully reached down and stroked the baby's head, watching with Mulder as the little girl drank her milk and chattered happily in baby talk to the both of them.

---

"You should go, Mulder," Scully said, looking at the clock. "If you don't leave now you'll be very late."

"I'm normally late," Mulder pointed out reasonably, and Scully couldn't really argue with that fact. "What are you guys going to do today?" he asked her.

"We need to go visit the store," Scully said, efficiently plucking a glass out of Lucy's reach. The baby didn't appreciate the glass being moved away, and let out of a wail of annoyance. Scully jiggled the child on her lap and tried to distract her with a colourful block Lucy had taken a liking to the day before. "Lucy needs some more toys, and I think we need to get some things for Jacob too."

The doorbell rang as Mulder was standing.

"That should be Alice," Maggie said, also standing. "She said she'd stop around early this morning to let you know what was happening with the agency."

"It's very early though," Scully murmured, glancing at the clock as Maggie left. "Mulder, you really should be going."

"I'm going, I'm going," Mulder grinned. "I need to kiss my girl goodbye though," he said, leaning down and smacking a kiss on Lucy's cheek.

Scully felt warm inside at his words; my girl, he'd said, and kissed Lucy.

"Are you going to kiss me too?" Jacob asked warily, eyeing Mulder.

"Well, you're not a girl, are you?" Mulder told him.

"No," Jacob nodded.

"Can I hug you though?"

Jacob considered. "Okay," he said, nodding.

Mulder hugged the boy, ruffled his hair, and dropped a quick kiss on his forehead. "I'm not a girl!" Jacob reminded him.

"I know, but I didn't want you to feel left out."

"You haven't kissed Dana yet," Jacob said.

"I can fix that," Mulder said simply, and turned to Scully. She smiled at him and turned her face so he could peck her cheek, but he surprised her when he rested his fingers under her chin and tilted his face toward hers, brushing her lips with his. "Bye, Mommy," he whispered against her lips, brushing them again with his own, and again.

Scully closed her eyes, savouring the feel of his lips touching hers.

"I hope to God you have an explanation for this, Agent Mulder," a startling familiar voice broke into Scully's small bubble of bliss, and she jerked away from Mulder's lips.

"Sir!" she gasped, staring up at Skinner who was towering in the doorway and looking absolutely stunned.

"I was going to see you about it this morning, actually sir," Mulder said smoothly, standing up straight and touching Lucy's head with his fingers.

"Sit back down, Mulder, we can talk here," Skinner said gruffly. "That is, if Mrs. Scully doesn't object."

"Of course not," Maggie said, bustling into the kitchen. "Sit down, Mr. Skinner, and I'll get you some coffee."

"Would you excuse me for a few moments?" Scully asked awkwardly, staring at Skinner and feeling very ill at ease dressed only in her robe and her pajamas. Not to mention her bed hair, and the streaks of cereal Lucy's enthusiastic approach to eating at left all over her robe and face.

"Of course, Agent Scully," Skinner said smoothly.

"I'll take Lucy, Scully," Mulder said, reaching for the baby.

"Come on, Jacob, let's go get dressed," Scully said as she stood up, well aware of the little boy once again clinging to her legs in a manner reminiscent of his first meeting with both Mulder and Alice.

---

Sitting on the couch next to Mulder wasn't really unusual. It wasn't unusual for the two of them to face Skinner across a desk and present a united front of defence against his questions and disparages. It was, however, unusual for Mulder to have an arm wrapped around her shoulders and his free hand tracing gentle patterns on the palm of her hand while they talked to Skinner.

Skinner, Scully was relieved to note, looked about as comfortable with their 'display of affection' as Scully felt about giving it. True, she liked being held by Mulder and enjoyed the warmth of his body pressed against his own. She also liked the way his breath sometimes passed through her hair and caressed the skin of her temple. But she'd never really gotten comfortable with public displays of affection, even when she _was_ involved with someone. To so blatantly flaunt a lie in Skinner's face this way was even worse, in some ways.

"And the only reason you're stepping forward about your relationship now is because you want to adopt these two children?" Skinner clarified.

Mulder nodded.

"I have to admit, Agent Scully, I was surprised when I was told by Agent Leeman that you had taken the two children into your custody," Skinner said carefully, looking at Scully. "It's why I stopped by this morning."

Scully shrugged. "You're aware that I've tried to adopt before," she said simply.

"I believe the circumstances were different."

"They were," Scully agreed slowly. "However, the fact is that I've been considering adoption for some time now."

"I'm confused, Agents," Skinner said finally. "You fought so long and hard to get the X Files back. Now you have them, and suddenly you both want to up and leave and just live happy families?"

"Our priorities have changed," Mulder explained. "I think that the reasons for my and Agent Scully's pursuing the X Files have been satisfactorily concluded, and our need to be involved therefore, has diminished. Now that the threat truly is gone, sir, Scully and I can think about having a family without having to worry about enemies and conspiracies and threats against loved ones."

Skinner finished the last of his coffee, and considered them thoughtfully.

"There's always been a lot of talk about the two of you around the office water cooler," Skinner said finally, staring straight into Scully's eyes. "I never put a lot faith in the gossip; God knows they've had me and Kimberly sleeping together for years too. I'm surprised to find they were right for a change."

Scully tried not to blush, and Mulder's fingers tightened around hers. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you, sir."

Skinner nodded, and Scully wasn't entirely convinced he believed that they were involved. "If you need a character witness, I'll be happy to step forward and validate your relationship."

"Sir?" Scully asked, her eyes wide.

Skinner shrugged. "Your partnership achieved stellar work, Agent Scully, and you know as well as I that technically, there's no rule which you or Agent Mulder broke. As your supervisor, there was no need for me to separate you, or feel that your personal relationship in any way weakened your working relationship."

Scully smiled at him. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't worry about coming in today, Mulder," Skinner said, rising to his feet. "I'll put you both on leave until things settle down, and I'll look into options of employment within the Bureau for the two of you myself. It would be a shame to lose you."

"When we have our first barbecue, consider yourself invited," Mulder told Skinner blandly. "Scully makes a mean potato salad."

"I'm happy for you two," he continued, a rare affection in his eyes. "I'm happy you've both found something you've been looking for."

---

_Thank you so much for all the reviews! I'm absolutely stunned at the response to fic, and I hope that you all keep enjoying it as much as you apparently are!_

_Hopefully this chapter answered some of the questions a few of you had about where Mulder & Scully's work with the X Files was going – I'm only at the beginning of this fic, there's still a lot more to come! _

_Please keep the reviews coming – they totally make my day._


	8. Chapter 8

**8.**

The last few days felt unreal, Mulder thought as he put some dishes away. The children had appeared so unexpectedly it felt like one minute they weren't there, and the next minute he and Scully had a little family all for themselves.

And Scully. Mulder still couldn't believe they were getting married. He tried to ignore the fact that Scully only saw it as a marriage of convenience between two friends. A little voice of concern niggled at him when he allowed himself to think too hard about the upcoming marriage, suggesting that maybe he wouldn't be able to keep up the pretence of it being purely convenience.

He'd loved Scully for a long time now – she was more important to him than anything, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her away or damage their friendship by admitting that he was in love with her and would she mind if it were a _real_ marriage instead of just a marriage of convenience?

Mulder snorted, wiping the last soap suds out of the sink and rinsing the rag under the faucet.

"I didn't realise how domesticated you were," Scully murmured. He turned to find her leaning against the doorjamb, watching him with her blue eyes. She looked more relaxed than he'd seen her in… well, forever, really. This Scully, the one who wore jeans and soft sweaters and a smile on her lips was miles away from the women in four inch heels brandishing a scalpel and a scowl. He kinda liked the change, and wondered if maybe it wouldn't be more appropriate to call her Dana.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows in slight concern.

"No," Mulder said, smiling. "I was just thinking how different this all is."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, Friday we bought breakfast at the coffee shop and were running around collecting what we needed for our meeting with Skinner. The closest thing to domesticity that I came to that day was throwing my shirt in the laundry hamper at the end of the day."

"You have a laundry hamper?" she teased him, grinning.

"I do have some domestic skills, Scully," he told her haughtily. "Where are the kids?"

"Lucy is settling down for a nap, and Mom's pulled out some of Bill and Charlie's old things. Jacob is currently being thrilled to pieces with navy boats and toy tanks."

Mulder smiled at the mental picture. "We'll have to visit a toy store," he said, adding it to his mental list.

Scully moved into the room and perched herself on the kitchen table, her feet swinging a few inches above the ground. Recognising the thoughtful look in her eye, Mulder leant back against the benches he'd just cleaned and waited for her to say what was on her mind.

"Are you going to be happy, Mulder?" she asked finally.

Mulder sighed, staring at her small white sneakers swinging gently back and forth. How could he tell her that of course he'd be happy, because he was going to be married to _her._ And, of course, the kids. For someone who'd lived such an unusual life, and been so unconventional, he was beginning to crave everything labelled 'normal'. After all, if so many people lived normal lives and were happy, normal lives had to have _something_ going for them, right?

"Why do you keep asking me that, Scully?" he asked instead. "I'm capable of making my own decisions and having my own motives for doing things. I've told you, I _want_ to do this. I _want_ to live a normal life. I want to step back and relax and enjoy life again, not keep peering into the shadows and searching for monsters."

"You say that now, Mulder, but I know you. You won't be satisfied with flying a desk or cleaning diapers for the rest of your life."

"Lucy's only going to be in diapers for a few more years, Scully, that's hardly the rest of my life," he reminded her.

"Mulder," she sighed.

She wasn't going to accept it, he realized finally. Scully was too methodical and needed too much proof about everything to actually be happy and trust him when he said something. "Could you believe me this once?" he asked her quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"You always doubt, Scully, and you won't believe without proof. Could I ask you this once to take a leap of faith, and trust me to know my own mind? To stop questioning me on a decision I've tried to explain to you several times already?"

She still looked doubtful. Mulder closed his eyes; maybe he should just come clean and tell her the truth – that he wanted _her_ forever, which is why he'd be happy no matter what.

"Scully," he said, stepping into the V of her legs and framing her face with his hands. "I want this," he whispered staring into her blue eyes. They were as beautiful as ever, and still clouded with confusion and doubt.

Doubt.

"Are _you _beginning to change your mind?" he asked, his thumbs moving over her skin.

"No," she breathed, staring at him. "I just don't want you to realize this is a mistake and then hate me later on for asking you to do this."

"It was my choice," he reminded her huskily.

At some point, her hands had risen to his waist and her fingers were now tangled in the material of his shirt. "Okay," she said, nodding. "I trust you, Mulder."

"Good," he smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead and wrapping his arms around her. Trust was a step in the right direction, he thought, nuzzling his nose against her hair. Maybe it would take baby-steps, but he'd keep at it.

After all, three days ago he was hardly likely to be standing between Scully's legs and hugging her, was he? Much less have stolen all the kisses he'd managed this weekend. He grinned to himself as the doorbell rang once again – maybe he'd make it his mission to see how many kisses and cuddles and smiles he could steal from Scully. Maybe she'd get so used to them, she'd just slip into love with him without realizing, and then she wouldn't be scared away.

"I'll get it," he said, pulling away from her with a smile. "It's probably the social worker this time."

---

Alice introduced the agency worker as Tom Billings. Tom Billings reminded Mulder of Byers, but while Byers was fairly naïve and always saw the good in people, Tom Billings had sharp blue eyes that darted around the room quickly, noting everything and everyone. Mulder didn't like Tom Billings – he thought Tom looked look hard and sharp and jaded to do any good working in the adoption area.

"Let's take a seat," Tom said after shaking hands with Mulder and Scully. "Now, I understand from Alice that you've currently got temporary custody of the children."

"That's right," Mulder said, wrapping his fingers around Scully's hand.

Tom nodded. "Well, that will make no difference to the adoption process. You will still have to be screened, interviewed and go through all the normal procedures. We don't make special allowances just because you're FBI."

"We never asked for special allowances," Scully pointed out.

"We also don't normally give people custody of the children until they've been through the screening process, however things have obviously been done differently this time so we'll have to work around it."

Mulder clenched his jaw; he _really_ didn't like Tom Billings.

"What do we need to do, Mr. Billings?" Scully asked. To anyone who didn't know her, her voice sounded calm. Pleasant, even. Mulder, however, knew Scully, and even if the others couldn't he could feel the anger in her voice as clearly as if she'd yelled. He squeezed her hand gently, and absently stroked at it with his thumb, trying to soothe her. An usual day indeed, he thought to himself, when he was the one calming Scully down.

"Get married," Tom Billings said bluntly. "Normally we wouldn't even consider your application or send an agency employee out for an interview if you weren't married. You'll need to get married before this can progress any further. And, of course, having a permanent house where the children can be comfortable would be a good idea too."

"We're going to look for a house this afternoon," Mulder said calmly, "and we plan to pick up a marriage license at the same time."

Tom billings moved his wire rimmed glasses down his nose and peered at Mulder over the top of the lenses. "Yes, there is that consideration too," he murmured. "I hope you can produce several very good and very convincing character witnesses, because I'm inclined to believe this little charade is nothing more than a marriage of convenience."

"It isn't," Mulder snapped.

"Easy, Mulder," Scully said, her hand now soothing him. "It's okay, we were told about this, remember?"

"Here's a list of things we need as part of your application. They include blood tests, character references, your current financial state, written references and the like. You'll find a detailed list which summarizes everything in there, and it will also give you an idea of what the interviews are like."

"Thank you," Scully said, accepting the small folder Tom Billings held out.

"Until you're married and have a house to live in, I'm afraid there's not a lot more I can do for you at the moment. As I said, we expect you to go through this application process completely, and that means meeting all the requirements."

Tom and Alice left fairly soon after; Alice with an apologetic smile on her face.

"I wonder why he's in the adoption agency," Scully said, closing the door as their guests left.

"Who knows," Mulder muttered, scowling. "He's not going to make it easy for us, Scully."

"Since when has anything ever been easy for us?" she asked dryly.

"True."

"Get your coat on, Mulder, we've got a busy day ahead of us. I'll go and get Jacob – Mom said she'd watch Lucy for us today."

Mulder obeyed and ten minutes later he, Scully and Jacob were on their way.

---

_Thank you so much for all the reviews – I'm absolutely stunned at how many people are commenting on this fic! I'm trying hard to keep Mulder & Scully in character while I write this, but given this isn't a casefile I'm having to guess at how Mulder and Scully will act and react to events._

_Also, I apologize for getting "Americanisms" wrong – I'm not actually from the US of A, so you'll just have to bear with dodgy spelling and slightly wrong terms for things. I'm trying to keep the fic "American" in terminology, but it's easy to slip up – particularly with spelling because my fingers are so used to adding those extra 'u's!_

_I'm so happy you guys are liking the kids too – they're lots of fun to write and they might inadvertently put Mulder & Scully in a few confusing and embarrassing situations in the future!_

_Thanks for all the support, and please keep the reviews coming with suggestions and ideas_

_(a suggestion for a better name would be adored – I really don't like this one's title!)_

_Cheers!_


	9. Chapter 9

**9.**

It took them almost an hour to get a marriage license – thankfully they didn't need to get blood tests and the like done, though everything was on file at the FBI. As it was, Jacob was getting cranky and short tempered and miserable with having to wait in long lines.

Thankfully, their badges had given them a little advantage, and they were booked in with a JP for a wedding ceremony that afternoon just after 5pm. Scully called her mother to tell her, and asked Maggie to phone Skinner and the Gunmen to let them know what was happening. If it felt a little sudden or unreal to Mulder, he never said a word, so Scully refrained from thinking about it and pushed the entire event from her mind.

She'd start worrying about it closer to the time, she thought as they stepped into the miserable sunlight outside.

"You'll like where we're going next," Mulder told Jacob as he buckled him into his seat.

"Where are we going?" Jacob asked, his tone bordering on something Scully would classify as rude, even from a four year old.

"To the mall," Mulder explained, checking to make sure the little boy was secure. "There's a big toy store at the mall, and we can go have a look at that if you want."

"Do they have light sabers and Jedi Knights?" Jacob wanted to know.

Scully grinned, remembering a case a few years back with Eddie van Blundht and a young girl with an unhealthy Star Wars obsession. Mulder must have caught her grin, because he smirked and nodded. "I'm sure they'd have that," Mulder said agreeably.

"I want a light saber," Jacob said.

"We'll see when we get there," Scully said smoothly. "And we'll get some lunch too. I'm getting hungry."

"Me too!" Jacob announced emphatically from the back seat, earning another smile from Scully.

---

The mall wasn't as busy as Scully had anticipated, until she remembered it was a Monday. Still, it was busy, and she made sure she held onto Jacob's hand tightly to ensure the little boy wouldn't get lost.

"Where to first?" Mulder wanted to know. "Lunch or shopping?"

"Shopping," Scully said promptly, as Jacob said "Lunch!"

"How about we go get you some stuff first, and then you can look at it when we have lunch?" Scully suggested, hoping it would placate him. The child had been dragged backward and forward today, and she'd been impressed with his behavior. He hadn't complained much, and he was still obeying her and Mulder, despite the fact that Scully would have thought his patience would have run out long ago.

"Do I get a light saber?" Jacob asked cagily.

She had to admire his bargaining skills for someone so young. "Let's see what they've got, and then decide, okay?"

"Okay," Jacob agreed happily.

They found the K-Mart easily enough, even after stopping several times at Jacob's request to admire the Halloween displays in several windows featuring ghost and ghouls and monsters.

"How long 'til Hal'ween?" Jacob asked, his little hand gripping Scully's tightly as they entered the store.

"Um… still a few more sleeps," Scully said, trying to work it out in her head.

"Daddy said we're going trickytreats on Hal'ween!" Jacob said excitedly. "I get to dress up!"

"What costume are you going to wear?" Mulder asked.

"I want to be a Jedi Knight," Jacob said firmly. "Mommy's gonna make me a cape."

"Well, how about you and I go and look at the toys, Jacob, and let Scully get the things she needs," Mulder offered, holding his hand out to Jacob.

Scully wasn't certain it was a good idea to let Mulder and Jacob loose in the toy department, but then figured she had to trust Mulder with the little boy at some time. "No promises, Mulder," she warned him quietly.

"Exactly," he said, grinning at her before he led Jacob off to the toy department. She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and went to find a shopping cart. What trouble, really, could Mulder and a four year old boy get into in the toy department?

Scully picked her pace, determined to get the things she needed as quickly as possible, rather than tempt fate and leave her boys alone for longer than necessary.

---

What trouble could Mulder and a four year old boy get into in a toy department in ten minutes? A whole hell of a lot, apparently. Scully stared at them in dismay, trying very hard not to giggle at the sight of Mulder.

"But we're Jedi Knights, Scully!" Mulder said loudly. "And we have light sabers!"

She eyed the cart he was presenting to her in which Jacob was proudly wearing a plastic cape and brandishing a battery operated light saber, complete with sound effects. "Mulder, what are you doing?" she asked, looking at his own cape which only fell to just above his butt, and the tiny saber in his hands.

"Mulder needs a costume too, if he's going trickytreats on Hal'ween," Jacob explained. "He's a Jedi Knight too!"

She bit on her lip. "What about the rest of the toys?"

"We couldn't decide which ones were better," Mulder apologized. "We thought you'd have to help us, so we picked all the ones we liked."

"We, Mulder?" Scully asked, arching an eyebrow. "I thought _Jacob_ was getting toys, not you."

Mulder shrugged. "I have to play with Jacob, it's only fair that we get toys I like too."

"Okay, you," Scully said, reaching for Jacob and lifting him out of the very full cart. "What have you got in there?"

Several sets of Lego, apparently, a few stuffed toys (for Lucy, Jacob said, though Scully did see the way he couldn't keep his fingers away from the fluffy fur), some toy cars, fake pistols and a whole host of action figures. It took twenty minutes, a lot of persuading and finally some stern scolding to convince Jacob that he didn't need all of that. She let him keep the Jedi Knight costume, though she made Mulder put his back, and she allowed two action figures, a set of Lego and two of the stuffed bears.

"You don't need the cars, Jacob," she said as she placed them back on the shelf. "You have plenty at home."

"But that one is a race car, Dana!" Jacob begged, tugging at her trousers.

"Not today, Jacob, maybe another time."

The little boy's lips were starting to tremble and his eyes were filling with tears. "But I want it!"

"What you want isn't always what you need," Scully said smartly. "You can choose between the Batman or the car, but you can't have both."

It took Jacob almost another five minutes of umming and ahhing before he finally decided on the Batman over the race car. "You can play with Superman, Mulder, and I'll be Batman," he said generously on the way to the checkout.

Scully smiled to herself at their conversation around superheroes and bad guys. She had no idea who half of their heroes were, she realized, but inevitably that was bound to change in the very near future.

---

"What'll we have, Scully?" Mulder asked. He'd offered to push the shopping cart for her, until Jacob complained his legs were tired. Jacob had then refused to stay in the cart's child seat, saying it was uncomfortable, and would Mulder _please_ carry him, so now Scully was fighting with the shopping cart and Mulder was walking easily at her side with Jacob balanced on his shoulders.

"I want something warm and rich and not greasy," Scully decided, peering around the food court. A small café tucked out of sight caught her eye, and she started pushing her cart toward it. "There, Mulder, that looks good."

"McDonald's!" Jacob announced loudly, jiggling on Mulder's shoulders. "Let's go to McDonald's, Dana! I want a Happy Meal!"

McDonald's was one of Scully's least favorite dining destinations. It was also, she realized with dismay, bound to become one of her most frequented dining destinations for years to come.

"Chicken burger and fries?" Mulder checked with her, an apologetic smile on his face.

"No fries, Mulder, but I would like a Sprite."

Mulder nodded and went to stand in line to order, Jacob still happily chattering away on his shoulders.

Scully sighed and found a seat, the plastic hard and cold against her. God, this was a longer day than she had imagined it would be, she thought as she checked her wristwatch, and it wasn't even half over yet. How did parents do it, she wondered, looking at Mulder with Jacob on his shoulders. How did parents do this all day every day and still live their lives?

Maybe she wasn't cut out for this.

"Those your boys?" a woman at the table next to her asked.

"Yeah," Scully said, smiling slightly.

"Mine are just in front of them," the woman said, smiling. "I'm just about done in."

"Me too," Scully confided. "I'm Dana, by the way."

"Marie," the woman said. "How many do you have?"

"Two. Jacob and Lucy."

"Is Lucy older or younger?" Marie asked.

"Younger. She's almost twelve months."

"They're adorable at that age, aren't they?" Marie smiled. "I have three boys – Alan is the youngest and he's almost six already. Time flies by so fast, and before you know it they're all grown up."

Scully watched Mulder and Jacob. Mulder had surprised her with the ease at which he fell into the role of 'father'. Then again, she'd seen him with Emily too, and the little girl had been charmed by him within minutes. She'd often wondered why he found it so easy to charm children, yet so hard to get along with adults.

"How long have you been married?" Marie asked quietly.

Scully looked at the woman; she was about Scully's age but there were more lines around her face and she looked a little more worn. Still, there was a contentment in her eyes and a happiness in her smile that told Scully she was very happy with her life. Scully longed for that contentment.

"We're not married yet," Scully admitted. "Soon though." Like today-soon, she thought with a jolt.

Marie grinned. "We got married three weeks after Eric was born. It was such a scandal in our town that his mother wouldn't talk to me for years," the woman said.

Scully smiled in return. "Jacob and Lucy aren't ours," Scully confessed. "We're trying to adopt them though. The adoption has just nudged things along, and he proposed a few days ago."

Marie smiled broadly. "Oh, how lovely for you! Let me see your ring."

Scully held out it, feeling strangely unlike herself. She never struck up conversations with strange women, let alone talked about personal relationships and where she was in life with anyone.

"That's beautiful," Marie said approvingly. "Your fiancé has nice taste. I had to describe my ring in detail to David, and he still got something horrendous. Thankfully, he let me change it," the woman grinned. "I love David, but the man has _no_ taste."

"Hey, I do have a taste," a tall sandy haired man said as he arrived at the table. "I married you, didn't I?"

"Okay," Marie relented, grinning, "David has some taste occasionally. When I'm there to point out to him what's a good catch. David, this is Dana. Dana, this is my husband David."

"Pleasure to meet you," David said, reaching over and shaking her hand. His grip was warm and firm, and Scully found herself liking his open smile.

"Nice to meet you too," Scully said, smiling.

"Making friends without me, Scully?" Mulder asked, appearing at their table with Jacob in tow, clutching his Happy Meal gleefully.

"Well, if you abandon me in favor of food, Mulder, what am I supposed to do?" Scully retorted, grinning at him. "This is Marie, Mulder, and her husband David."

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Mom, my burger broke," a little boy with sandy brown curls announced loudly, taking Marie's attention. For the next few minutes they ate in companionable silence; both children occupied with their meals and the adults glad to have a rest.

"So where do you folks come from?" David asked.

"We're actually looking for a house," Mulder explained. "That's our mission after lunch anyway."

"Any particular area?" Marie asked.

Mulder shrugged. "Really, as long as it's a nice neighborhood with a few good schools and all the necessaries, we don't really mind. It'd be nice to be close to the city for work purposes, and Scully's Mom, but if we're fairly flexible."

"We live in Arlington," Marie said. "Well, the outskirts anyway. There are some lovely homes there. In fact, there's a gorgeous house three doors up from us up for sale at the moment. I think it's got three floors and a good basement, and I remember loving it because there was a lot of wooden trimming and finishing. It even has a small paddling pool in the backyard for summer time."

Scully wasn't sure a house like that would be in their price range, but Mulder jumped in before she could say anything. "Do you have the address, or know who we should talk to about having a look at it? It sounds good."

"Oh, it's lovely," Marie agreed, smiling broadly. "I went and had a peek a few days ago, out of curiosity. It was owned by an elderly couple who've lived there for quite some time – the pool was for their grandchildren – and both of them passed away in the last few weeks. It was quite sad, really, they were a lovely couple."

"I'd definitely like a look," Mulder said. "What do you think, Scully?"

She thought it was out of their price range, from the description, but she could hardly say so in front of virtual strangers. "A look would be nice," she agreed cautiously. "But we need to get in touch with an estate agent."

"Here's the address," Marie said, scribbling down on a piece of paper. "And this is our number. If you like the house, give me a call so I can invite you and the children over for dinner one night."

Mulder accepted the piece of paper graciously and tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks," he said, smiling. "You ready to go, Scully?"

"Yeah," she said, standing up. "How about you, Jacob?"

"I'm tired," he complained, looking up at her with a ketchup smeared face and a greasy chin. "I wanna go home."

"We're almost going home," Scully soothed. "You can have a nap in the car, okay?"

"I don't wanna nap!" Jacob said petulantly.

"Okay," Scully agreed, wiping his hands and face clean. "You don't have to. Do you want to walk, or do you want Mulder to carry you?"

Jacob, it appeared, got cranky and clingy when he got tired, and he clutched desperately at Scully with his still ever-so-slightly greasy fingers. She sighed at the thought of more grease marks on yet another shirt, and picked him up easily.

"Isn't he going to be too heavy for you, Scully?" Mulder asked worriedly. "It's a long walk to the car."

"I'll be fine, Mulder," she said, shifting Jacob so that he sat comfortably on her hip. "Won't we, Jacob?"

His answer was to cuddle closer and bury his head under her chin.

"Give us a call anyway," Marie said when Scully and Mulder turned to say goodbye. "It would be nice to have coffee or dinner with both of you."

"We'd like that," Mulder smiled, guiding Scully out from between the tables and picking up their trash. "We'll let you know what happens either way."

"You do that," David agreed, also gathering their trash. "Come on, Alan, and help me throw this away. We'll take yours too, Mulder."

"Thanks," Mulder said, passing it over. "Come on, Scully, let's get our little man home."

---

"He's asleep," Scully murmured after checking on Jacob in the backseat. They'd been driving for less than five minutes, and the little boy was out like a light, cuddling one of the new teddy bears they'd bought for him at K-Mart.

"Good," Mulder said. "He was getting crabby."

"Kids do that, Mulder," Scully said good-naturedly. "Where are we going?"

"Arlington area. I want to look at that house David and Marie told us about."

Scully stared at his profile while he drove. "You know, I'm a little surprised," she finally said.

"About what?"

"You," she returned evenly. "I've never seen you so charming or polite or friendly to strangers. I'm wondering what's happened to you, actually."

Mulder raised his eyebrows. "You're telling me I was acting strangely? How about you, Scully? Since when do you sit and have a tea party with other women, let alone a complete stranger?"

He had a point, she acknowledged. "Maybe we're acting like people do when they have families," Scully theorized. "It's what started off our conversation, actually. Marie asked me if you and Jacob were my boys."

"What did you say?" Mulder asked, smiling.

"I told her yes, but I was trying to disown you," Scully said dryly.

"Scully, you wound me," Mulder said airily.

"Seriously, Mulder, where are we going?" Scully questioned, diverting the conversation away from 'her boys'.

"I told you, the house in Arlington."

"We probably can't afford that, Mulder," Scully said carefully.

"Scully, we can afford it," Mulder said quietly. "We won't be paying rent on our apartments anymore, and I have a bit put away."

"Mulder, I don't expect-"

"We've had this conversation already," Mulder cut in. "I don't want to have it again. I'm doing this because I want too, Scully, and that applies to everything. I want to have a nice house for my family."

"Thank you, Mulder," Scully said quietly.

"Tomorrow, if we have time and everything works out, I want us to go to the bank and set up a joint account," he said, glancing at her before focusing his attention on the road again.

"Mulder?"

"I want this to be a real marriage, Scully," he said earnestly. "I want it to be equal."

"Okay," she whispered, looking out of the window so he wouldn't notice the tears burning her eyes. A real marriage. "Thank you."

His hand found hers and he squeezed it gently, tangling his fingers with hers. "I should be thanking you," he said huskily. "You're giving me a family I didn't think I'd ever have, Scully, and I don't know how to thank you for that."

"You're giving me the family too," she pointed out, curling her fingers tightly around his. "I think we're even, then."

"Always," he murmured, pulling the car to a halt outside an estate agent's office. "This should do."

---

They were lucky – the house Marie and David had suggested was listed with the estate agent Mulder had pulled up in front of. Less than an hour later they were wandering through the house, admiring it.

Marie and David hadn't been lying – it was a beautiful house with airy bedrooms and a comfortable feel. Scully particularly liked the little breakfast nook tucked into a sunny deck, and there was a large window in the main room. The window sill was large enough to put a few cushions on and turn into somewhere she could sit and read on, the type of reading nook she'd always dreamed of as a child.

Mulder, carefully carting a sleeping Jacob around in his arms (Scully hadn't wanted to leave the boy sleeping in the car by himself), turned to look at her as she examined the window.

"What do you think?" he asked quietly, studying her.

"I think it's perfect," she said honestly.

Mulder grinned. "The bathroom has a huge claw footed tub," he said.

Scully grinned broadly. "What more could a girl want from life?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, speaking from a male point of view, there's a perfect spot for my basketball hoop out the front."

Thirty minutes later Mulder had called his lawyer and the ball was in motion. Scully was a little surprised that they hadn't looked at other houses, but then she figured that time wasn't really on their side, and the sooner they got settled into a house of their own, the better.

A house of their own.

Scully didn't stop grinning on the way back to the justice of the peace office that afternoon, and neither did Mulder.

Now all that was left was getting married, she thought as they pulled up near the large building. And in less than an hour, that wouldn't be an obstacle anymore either.

---

_Thanks so much for all the reviews, guys! Like a lot of writers, I use reviews as a sort of 'barometer' to see if the fic's being enjoyed or not – please let me know what you thin of it (good and bad!)_

_Cheers,_

_Silf_


	10. Chapter 10

_OMG, Look, I UPDATED! Sorry about the delay – this chapter is nice and long so hopefully you don't all hate me too much!_

_More notes and explanations at the end._

**10.**

Mulder had been surprised to find the Gunmen, Skinner and Alice waiting for them at the court house.

"Your friends should be present for your wedding," Mrs. Scully had said firmly when Mulder had voiced his surprise. "And you, Dana, should be dressed properly."

Mulder had hidden a smile of amusement as Mrs. Scully and Alice dragged Scully away to the ladies' bathroom where they were going to get her ready for her wedding. Mulder turned to Skinner. "Thank you for coming, sir."

"Is Scully sure she knows what she's getting into?" Skinner asked dryly, grinning.

Lucy, dressed in a cute pink jumpsuit Mulder hadn't seen before, gurgled happily in his arms. He looked down at the baby, and smiled at her. "Scully knows all about changing diapers, sir."

"I wasn't talking about diapers, Mulder."

"I know, sir."

Jacob, who'd been hiding behind Mulder's legs, peeked his head around and stared up at Skinner. "You're big," he said bluntly.

"You'll be big too when you're grown up," Skinner responded evenly.

"You're bigger than my daddy."

"Different people get different big, Jacob," Mulder said gently.

"If my daddy was as big as him, he wouldn't have gotten hurt."

The air suddenly became tense, and Mulder ducked down to look at Jacob on eye level. "Why do you say that?" he asked gently. "Was the man who hurt your daddy bigger than him?"

Jacob nodded his head a tiny bit. "Big people are bullies."

"Not all of them," Mulder said gently. "Skinner isn't a bully."

Skinner, to Mulder's relief, couched down on his haunches. "Mulder's right, Jacob. I'm not a bully. It's not right to hurt people who are smaller than you are."

"Look at Frohike," Mulder continued, grinning. "He's very short, and Skinner isn't mean to him, is he?"

"No, I guess not," Jacob agreed hesitantly, his eyes flicking from adult to adult.

"We're all nice to Frohike," Mulder continued.

"So, Mulder, does this mean I get your video collection?" Frohike asked, appearing next to Skinner.

"Only if you ask nicely," Mulder said, grinning.

Two seconds later a large set of wooden doors opened, and a young couple holding hands walked out wearing large grins and hardly noticed the small group of people waiting in the foyer.

"Fox Mulder?" someone asked from inside the room.

"That's me," Mulder said stepping forward.

"If you and Dana Scully would like to come in, we can get started," the man said easily.

"Scully's just gone to the bathroom," Mulder said half-truthfully.

"That's okay," the man said cheerfully. "I'm David Weller, and I'll be conducting the ceremony for you today."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Mulder said, sticking one hand out and carefully cradling Lucy with the other hand.

"And who is this delightful creature?" David Weller asked after shaking Mulder's hand. "Your daughter?"

"Hopefully in the future," Mulder admitted, smiling.

"Oh, yes," David realized, nodding his head. "You're _that_ couple."

Mulder raised his eyebrows. "_That _couple?"

"The one from the FBI that has every fed building in the greater Washington area gossiping about you."

Mulder turned to Skinner. "Sir?"

"Water cooler has been very busy, Mulder," Skinner said blandly.

Mulder looked back at David, who met his gaze steadily. "I'm sincerely hoping, young man, that this isn't marriage of convenience and that you truly do love the young woman you're about to commit to today."

"I do," Mulder said quietly, his fingers tightening protectively around Lucy.

"Especially for the children," David continued steadily.

"Sir, I wouldn't marry Scully or tell someone I loved her if I didn't," Mulder said honestly.

David studied him for several more seconds, and then nodded his head. "All I can do is accept that you're telling the truth. You'll know in yourself if what the two of you are doing is wrong."

Maybe on one level it was wrong, Mulder supposed. After all, while he loved Scully the way you were supposed to when you married someone, she didn't love him that way. That she cared about him he had no doubt, and that she loved him in her own way he believed entirely too.

All he had to do was show her that he could be loved in a hearts and flowers kind of way as well as a best friend kind of way. The kind of love that inspired passion and tingling and the hot thump of blood through her body.

Maybe on one level it was wrong, but it was right too.

"Come on in then," David offered, waving into the office he'd just vacated. "It'll be a mite bit squashy for all of you – I didn't realize there were going to be quite so many guests, otherwise I'd have planned for a bigger room."

"It's okay," Mulder said, following David into the office, "they can handle it."

---

Mulder was nervous. Nervous in a hands clammy with sweat, throat as dry as sandpaper and heart attempting to beat the world record in the hundred meter sprint kind of way. Scully should have been ready by now, he thought in almost panic.

What if she changed her mind? What if she decided _against_ marrying him now?

He should never _ever_ have let Maggie Scully near Scully now, let alone convince Scully that wearing a dress for her wedding was a good idea. He should have grabbed Scully's hand while it was in grabbing range and dragged her to the alter. He should-

Lucy squawked indignantly in his arms, and Mulder realized that his nervousness was making him hold her a little too tightly. Loosening his hold a little, he smiled apologetically at the baby as she settled down in his arms again, her chubby little fists waving around the air happily. She stuffed one of her fists into her mouth and gummed it happily, completely ignorant of the drool now running down her chin and heading straight for her pink jumpsuit.

"Whoa," Mulder cautioned, whipping his handkerchief out of his pocket and gently dabbing at the dribble. "You don't want to mess yourself up, you know. You look real pretty in that suit, and drool just doesn't work as a fashion accessory these days."

"You'd prefer her to pierce her nose and dye her hair green for fashion?" a teasing voice asked from the doorway.

Mulder looked up to see Scully standing in entrance, a strangely shy smile on her lips. "She can drool as much as she wants," Mulder said promptly, wondering if he was allowed to drool too.

Scully looked beautiful. The dress wasn't a traditional white concoction of silk and satin and lace, but Mulder had always thought Scully wasn't suited to that sort of creation. Instead, she wore a plain cream shift that looked like it was made out of linen – far too cold really, for this time of year, but the indoor heating obviously made it bearable. Her hair had been styled, somehow pulled back to the give the illusion of length, and woven with tiny white little flowers that highlighted the redness of her lips and the fire of her hair.

"I take it that this is Dana?" David Weller enquired politely.

Mulder grinned broadly. "This is Dana," he agreed, holding his hand out to Scully.

She squeezed gracefully past the now tiny crowd in the little office, and came to stand beside him where she wrapped her fingers around his. She seemed shorter than usual, and he looked down with surprise to realize she was barefoot.

"Mom couldn't find shoes to go with the dress," she explained, catching his gaze and blushing slightly.

"You look beautiful though," Mulder said sincerely, smiling down at her. He thought that maybe he liked her this short once in a while; it reminded him just how small she was, and there was nothing like being reminded of her fragility to make him feel all manly and strong and have strange delusions of being a knight in shining armor on a white horse.

"Thank you," she said, blushing and looking at his tie to avoid his gaze.

"Okay," David said, "if the two of you are ready, how about we make a start?"

Mulder nodded eagerly, clutching Scully's fingers as tightly as she was clutching his. Jacob, who'd been standing next to Scully with the rings, held them up when asked by David. Mulder passed Lucy to Maggie before reaching for one of the rings.

"See?" Jacob said pointedly as Mulder took a ring from the box. "I _told_ you I wouldn't lose them."

Mulder grinned at him. "Just as well, otherwise Dana and I would have a hard time getting married now."

And then Scully was sliding a pale gold ring onto his finger, and he was almost drowning in her eyes. Somewhere he heard David announce them married, and he remembered in some part of his memory that this was around the time he got to kiss his bride. So he kissed her. Properly.

Possibly a little too properly, he would think later, as he remembered the small pop when they broke apart and the way her blue eyes looked so much darker and wider and intense when he could finally focus on them. Her breathing had rasped in his ear, and he'd wanted to lean forward and kiss her again, but he became aware of their surroundings and witnesses, and had the good grace to blush just as brightly as Scully did.

Still, he thought, the taste and feel of her against him had been worth more than any embarrassment, and he was curious about the look in her eyes when they'd pulled apart. He _really_ wanted to kiss her again. And again. And again.

Not to mention, he thought, grinning at her suddenly, they were married.

About damn time!

---

They all went out to dinner – a local, boisterous steak house that catered for children and grown men who acted like children, Mulder thought fondly as he watched Langly and Frohike trying to outdo each other with balloons and crayons purely for Jacob's sake.

Scully, the fine diner and connoisseur of salads, looked a little perturbed by the lack of meatless, healthy food on the menu, but Mulder figured that living with kids meant things like small, exclusive little cafés weren't really much of an option anymore. For that, he felt a little sorry, but Scully wasn't complaining and he knew her too well to think that she feel any sort of resentment to having her restaurant choice very limited.

"Hey, at least it's not McDonald's!" she told him when she caught him studying her.

He grinned at her and squeezed her hand where it was lying on the table next to him. "Next time we'll find somewhere that has something more in your tastes too," he promised, absently lifting her hand to his lips where he could brush a kiss across her small knuckles.

In public, just married, it was okay and acceptable for him to kiss and touch Scully constantly. He was happy about that - he _needed _to explain to everyone around them that Scully was now _his_ and he was _very_ happy with it. And, judging by the veiled grins and knowing looks, he knew they all believed that quite happily.

The thing was, that was the truth. He _was_ ecstatic to be married to Scully. To have their names written down next to each other legally in a fancy, swirling script, listed below hundreds of other couples who'd also embarked on the journey of matrimony together.

A pity, he thought with a pang, that he had no way of telling Scully he _wasn't_ pretending anymore. In fact, the only pretending he'd done was give her the impression that he loved her platonically, and that was only because she'd thrown his declaration of love right back into his face the one time he'd tried to tell her.

Granted, she did think he was on drugs at the time, and he had been too scared to try tell her again. He couldn't handle rejection twice, not from her.

"Mulder?" she asked quietly, her face close to his as she leaned toward him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling at her, enjoying the closeness. She was still dressed in her shift, and though she'd put her pumps back on for the walk to and from the car, he'd been aware of her kicking them off haphazardly under her chair seconds after she'd been seated, and now her bare feet were wriggling over the wooden floor. "Are your feet cold?"

She looked surprised, and then smiled sheepishly. "I don't like wearing shoes with no socks or stockings," she explained, "and the stockings didn't match the shift."

And an unmatched set of stockings was worse than cold feet, Mulder thought with resignation. "Put your feet up my trousers," he instructed.

She stared at him. "_What_!"

"Just near my calves, Scully, we're in a public place for crying out loud!" he told her, winking.

She blushed, much to his amusement, and then her gaze turned curious. "Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"Why should I put my feet up your trousers?"

Across the table from them, Frohike almost choked on his steak. Mulder glared at him, before turning back to Scully. "So they get warm. I don't want you to get sick, Scully."

She quirked an eyebrow, and raised a hand to his forehead.

"What?"

"You don't want me to get sick?" she asked pointedly, her hand still on his forehead. "Mulder, we just got married. That doesn't mean that suddenly I'm going to get sick."

"It might," Frohike said blandly, obviously eavesdropping on their conversation. "You never know what Mulder has."

Mulder glared at Frohike again. "Just put your feet up my trousers, Scully!" Mulder said in exasperation.

By now, the entire table was listening to their strange conversations. "Mulder, my feet are fine."

"They're cold," Mulder argued stubbornly.

"How would you know?"

"I can tell."

"You two certainly sound married," Alice quipped, grinning.

"Mulder, my feet are fine," Scully said calmly, but he could see the annoyance in her eyes. "They're not cold. If they were, I'd put my shoes back on. What you're suggesting is just silly. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold – we need to get going soon."

He would have liked to protest her treating him the way she would treat Jacob – telling him his dinner was getting cold – but then he caught sight of the little boy who was almost asleep at his plate, the large pile of chips and chicken bits hardly touched as they grew cold on his plate.

Knowing the battle with Scully was lost, Mulder turned his attention toward eating and finishing so they could get their children home.

Looking at them now, the three people that suddenly compromised a family he thought he'd never had, Mulder felt something warm and bright inside him. For a lifetime he'd wondered around with the black shadow of Samantha's loss. He'd turned her absence into a cause, a reason to keep living and going and striving, but ultimately that search had led nowhere but darkness and conspiracies and death.

The only good thing that had come out of it was Scully.

He was no closer to finding Samantha, and certainly no closer to solving anything or proving anything, but he had found Scully.

And Scully had found him a family.

Suddenly the purpose and direction he'd been looking for all his life became crystal clear in front of him. Scully and the children were his family. His. His to look after, to love, to protect and to cherish. The thought and the feeling of this strange, obvious realization left him feeling warm and content and, for the first time in a long, long time, at peace.

Even if he never saw another X File, he realized with a start, he would be content. Sure, he might get bored and itch sometimes for the excitement of the investigation and the adrenalin of the hunt, but _this_ was real. _This_ was lasting.

This, he realized as Jacob lost the battle against sleep and his head dropped to the table with a gentle thud, this was what he had been looking for.

Scully and the others had been right all along – there _was_ more to life than the X Files, and he'd finally found it.

---

It was after ten by the time they got back to Maggie's house, and Mulder was privately wishing he could just blissfully pass out like Jacob did. However, he had two children to see to bed with Scully, and then a ride back to his apartment.

"If you two put the children down, I'll get the bed ready," Maggie said, unlocking the front door.

"What do you mean?" Scully asked, cuddling Lucy in her arms as she followed her mother inside. "Their beds are already set – I made them this morning."

"I meant your bed, Dana."

"Mine's fine too," Scully said uncertainly.

Mulder followed them in, holding Jacob's sleeping form close against him to keep him from the biting wind that was swooping around the house and tugging at Mulder's hair. It was going to be a cold year, and early snow was a distinct possibility with the wind as cold as it was.

"You're both going to sleep on that little single bed?" Maggie asked in surprise, turning around to look at them.

"What do you mean?" Scully asked.

Mulder's gut twisted dramatically inside him as he realized what Maggie was getting at.

"You're married now," Maggie said patiently. "It's your wedding night, for goodness sake, Dana!"

"Oh," Scully said weakly.

"I know this will sound strange, Mrs. Scully," Mulder said politely, "but I'm not staying tonight. I wasn't expecting the wedding to be today, and I didn't pack any clothes or toiletries or anything."

Maggie Scully met his gaze determinedly. "It's your wedding night, Fox. And call me Maggie at least – we've been over this several times already."

"Mom, we don't mind. Honestly," Scully said gently.

"If you want the world to believe you really are married and in love, you better start acting like it," Maggie snapped, staring at them. "I don't know what the truth is – sometimes I think I do and sometimes I think I don't. You better work out which truth you want to stick to, and commit to it. If Jacob finds the two of you sleeping apart, and tells the social workers, you can imagine the conclusions they'll draw about the state of your marriage."

Mulder's mouth felt dry as he looked at Maggie. He licked his lips and glanced across at Scully. "Mom, it's just not going to work out tonight," Scully said, determinedly not looking at him. "My bed is too small, and we're not taking your bed," she added before Maggie could continue.

Mulder agreed vehemently – it was one thing having to share a bed with Scully (not that he minded in the least) but another completely to share her mother's bed with her.

"How would it look if someone found out you didn't spend tonight together?" Maggie asked softly.

"I don't care how it looks," Mulder said suddenly. "I'm married to Scully, and it's a real marriage, Maggie. Scully's right though – it's just not feasible tonight."

Maggie scowled at him. "I'll take Jacob with me, if you don't mind, and then you can have his bed in the second spare room," she said finally. "You're staying here tonight, Fox. And before you say you don't have clothes or toiletries, I have two sons that stay here sometimes, and I'm sure I can find you something suitable."

Scully looked at him helplessly, and he shrugged.

"I'll take the couch then," Mulder said finally. "I'm happy on the couch," he added before she could protest.

"I'll take the couch," Scully argued, shaking her head. "I'm shorter than you are, Mulder, and that couch is a lot shorter than yours."

Mulder hesitated. "Scully-"

"Please, Mulder?" she said quietly. "This way everyone gets a good night's sleep, and we don't have to worry about how anything looks to anyone."

Mulder nodded reluctantly, and then followed the two women up the stairs.

What exactly did Maggie think about their marriage, he wondered thoughtfully. He wasn't sure whether she believed they really were in love, or whether she suspected it was a marriage of convenience. Whatever she thought though, Mulder wasn't going to ask her, and if she didn't say anything there was no reason to bring the subject up.

Mulder tucked Jacob into bed, pressing a kiss against his forehead and brushing the hair back from his face.

God he hoped this worked and they got the children. Not just for Scully, and not just for the children, but for him too. It surprised him, how much he wanted them now.

He paused in the doorway and watched the little boy sleeping as Scully finished tucking Lucy into her crib. She moved over to Jacob and smoothed his covers down, before giving him a gentle kiss too.

She came to stand beside him, and they watched the children together for a few minutes, before he heard her stifling a yawn and realized he felt incredibly tired himself.

"Good night, Scully," he said, flicking the children's light off.

"Night, Mulder," she said, smiling up at him.

He leant down and pressed a gentle kiss against her smooth cheek, breathing in the scent he recognized as uniquely hers. For a few seconds he stood like that, resting his face against hers and his hand on her waist, before he pulled back and smiled at her again. "You sure you don't want the bed?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," she said gently.

He watched as she pulled several blankets from the cupboard in the hall and then disappeared down the stairs. With a small sigh, he turned the hall light off and got himself ready for bed.

Not exactly how he imagined his wedding night, he thought ruefully as he climbed into the single bed and flicked off the lamp.

---

Mulder woke up with a start, tense without knowing exactly why. He frowned into the darkness, listening carefully. An insistent tapping from an old tree branch against the house made him feel tense and edgy, and he tried to ignore the scraping sound while focusing on other noises.

Wind howled around the house, and he imagined it would either rain soon, or snow. Cold, cold weather for this early in the year, he thought with resignation. A long hard winter was predicted, and by all signs, the predictions were correct.

There – a muffled thud. That must have been what woke him, he thought, sitting up and easing out of bed. The air was frigidly cold, and when he looked at the clock on his bedside table, he realized the power must have failed. Probably a line blown over by the wind, or knocked down by a falling tree. The lack of power meant no heating, and the house was cooling down fast.

Another thud from the hall, and Mulder forced himself to get up and head to the hall to see what was happening. The bedroom door creaked when he opened it, and as he peered into the dark hallway, everything fell silent.

"Who's there?" he whispered quietly, hoping against hope it wasn't a burglar and only Scully or her mother getting a midnight drink.

"Mulder?" Scully's whisper responded. "What are you doing up?"

"What are _you_ doing up?" he returned, stepping into the hall.

"Lucy needed a feed," Scully explained. A second later he heard a small click which coincided with the appearance of a narrow beam of light from a flashlight Scully was holding in her hands. "Power failed a few hours ago," she explained when he looked at the flashlight, "I think a tree knocked some of the lines down."

He frowned. "A few hours ago?"

She nodded, her hair glinting in the dim light. "No power means no heating, and I got cold," she explained sheepishly.

Scully got cold easily since Antarctica, he remembered. "Why didn't you wake me?" he demanded quietly.

"Why should I?" she asked, frowning. "Not much you can do about it, Mulder."

"But you could have the bed," he argued.

"I doubt the bed is warmer than the couch," she said mildly. "Go back to bed, Mulder, the excitement of the night is over anyway."

He hadn't thought about late night feedings for Lucy, but apparently Scully had decided that was her job. "Do feed her every night?" Mulder asked curiously.

"Around 3am," Scully agreed, nodding. "It's almost 4 now, Mulder, and I want to get some more sleep," she added edgily.

"Take the bed," Mulder ordered. "It's got a comforter and you'll be warmer there."

She sighed. "You can't fit on the couch, Mulder. _I_ barely fit on it."

"But I'm used to not having a bed," he returned. "Please, Scully, you'll be warmer," he enticed.

She looked almost convinced for a second, and then shook her head. "You won't be comfortable," she said finally. "Just go back to bed, Mulder. We can try and work out other arrangements at a sane hour, okay?"

"I'll help you with the blankets," Mulder relented, holding his hand out.

"Thanks."

The thud he'd heard before must have been a small box falling out of the cupboard when Scully pulled the last blanket out. Now that he was holding the blanket for her, she bent over to pick it up.

"Here," he said, leaning down to help lift it despite its light weight. "I'll help."

He heard her sigh of annoyance, but she kept quiet and let him help her maneuver it back into position. As they had the box back in place, his hand brushed hers, and he winced at the icy coldness of her skin.

"You're like an icicle!" he realized, reaching for her hand and holding in his.

"I've just been up, Mulder," she said, and he recognized the tone in her voice as meaning she was close to losing her temper. Scully liked her sleep, and she got cranky when she didn't get it.

Ignoring her protests, he wrapped his hand around hers firmly and tugged her into the bedroom. "Get in," he ordered, spreading the extra blanket carelessly over the bed.

"Mulder, we've been through this already. You won't fit on the couch."

"I'm not planning on using the couch," he told her bluntly. "Jesus, Scully, you'll freeze to death with no heating, and you're cold already. Just get in, I promise I won't do anything indecent."

Her eyes widened slightly in the dim glow from the flashlight, but he was relieved to see her climb into the narrow bed without a further complaint. She must have been really cold, he realized, to get into the bed with him.

He got in after her, trying not to flinch as her icy feet brushed against his and the coolness of her skin seemed to stick to him. Ignoring the cold, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him so that her back spooned against his chest.

The bed was really too narrow for them and spooning was really the only way they'd both fit. As it was, he was wary of rolling over the side or squashing Scully against the wall, but he figured this was better than dying of cold in the abnormally icy fall.

"Better?" he asked, feeling her relax against him.

"Yes," she murmured, wriggling until she was pressed tightly against him. "Thanks, Mulder."

With his face buried against her neck and his arm snugly around her waist, Mulder thought that maybe his wedding night wasn't as bad as he'd first believed it to be.

"Night Scully," he murmured as her body started to warm against his and sleep gently carried him away.

---

_I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed this fic in the last couple of weeks, especially considering how long it's been since I updated! _

_Given that it's been so long since I updated, I hope this nice long chapter helps some of you forgive me for not updating regularly! I apologize for that – I personally hate it when author's don't update regularly and leave me hanging! I promise I haven't forgotten this fic, or grown tired of writing it, but life is very busy for me at the moment and I simply don't have the time to write now, that I normally have during the year._

_I live & work in Australia with a scuba diving company that runs tours and courses. Summer time (which is now for the non-Aussies) is our busiest time. I work in a retail store during the week, teach evening courses after work, and dive or captain our boat on the weekends at our dive lodge which has no internet anyway. As you can see, I'm horribly busy (and loving every moment of it) but that really cuts into my writing time – any off time I DO get is usually spent sleeping or cleaning or catching up on my studies and other involvements._

_I really hope you all keep reading this fic – I'm certainly enjoying writing it and I have a lot of ideas and plans for future chapters – it's just a matter of time and energy to actually sit and write!_

_Thanks for all the comments, reviews and wonderful encouragement. Please let me know what you think. I promise to try and update this more regularly because even though work's picking up, other commitments are settling down given it's the end of the year._

_Cheers,_

_Silf_

_PS – I'm terribly sorry about the inevitable spelling and grammatical errors – normally I proof-read myself a few times before posting, but I figured I'd post this NOW so that it gets posted otherwise I have no idea when I'll get around to updating again! Please bear with me!_


	11. Chapter 11

_OMG, Look, I UPDATED (again!)_

_I apologise SO MUCH for not posting before. My excuse – full time job + full time medical degree meansnot much writing time. I am so sorry, and I hope that you all still enjoy this story. I'm heading into exam time in about a month, and this is the time my muse usually kicks into overdrive, so hopefully I'll get around to finishing this story. As it is, I have the ideas, it's just a matter of finding time to write at the moment._

_Thanks for all the reviews – they've totally guilted me into writing and posting this chapter because you all deserved something for your patience and support! So, there you go, review and I get guilty and write ;)_

**11.**

The world was strangely quite when Scully woke the next morning. She frowned into her pillow, breathing in deeply, and then paused with a small amount of confusion. Why did her pillow smell like Mulder, she wondered briefly.

Because, a little voice reminded her logically, you married him yesterday and he dragged you into bed with him so you could be warm.

And she had been warm, Scully realized with a smile, opening her eyes to look for Mulder. Even though the pillow smelt like Mulder, there was no sign of him in the bed or anywhere in the room, for that matter. While she was looking for Mulder in the room, her eye caught the small clock on the stand, and she clucked her tongue irritably when she remembered the power failure; no doubt it was much later than she intended on sleeping thanks to the alarm not being reset after the failure.

Checking her wristwatch as she moved out from under the warm covers, Scully was horrified to discover that it was almost 9am. Jacob and Lucy would both have been up for hours already, and it was no testament to her mothering skills that she was still in bed long after they had risen.

Not brave enough to consider changing out of her pajamas in the frigid morning air, Scully simply wrapped her dressing gown around herself and slipped her feet into her slippers. Hurriedly dragging her fingers through her messy hair, she didn't even bother checking her reflection in the mirror before she ventured out to find Mulder and the children.

The living room, which had a built in fire place Maggie Scully rarely used, was where Scully found her small family. Some time this morning, Mulder must have located Maggie's wood pile out the back, and set about lighting the fire, which had in the space of the few hours Scully had overslept managed to warm the room quite nicely. She paused in the doorway, watching Lucy attempting to wriggle around on her tummy, but failing quite miserably. Mulder and Jacob were sitting side by side up close to the fire, their backs turned toward her. She smiled at the picture, and tried to work out exactly what they were up to.

"Good morning, Dana," her Mom said behind her.

"Morning Mom. Power still out, I take it?" Scully asked, nodding toward Mulder and the children still oblivious to her presence in the doorway.

"A tree knocked down one of the lines overnight," Maggie nodded, "the snow didn't matters either. They're hoping to have it all sorted by midday, but it's looking pretty nasty outside at the moment so I'm not holding my breath."

"Have you good enough wood for the fire until then?" Scully questioned, her gaze once again drawn to the man sitting in front of the warm blaze.

"Yes," Maggie said easily. "Mulder checked for me, he says there's enough to go a few days if we need it."

"Hopefully we don't!" Scully said emphatically. "It was absolutely freezing last night."

Maggie grinned at Scully, a decidedly devious look in her eyes. "I would have thought you were quite warm, really," she said blandly.

Scully, to her dismay, felt her cheek tinge a healthy pink colour and was wondering what exactly she could say in response to that comment, when Lucy let out an indignant squeal from her lonely position on the living room floor.

"What's the matter, Luce?" Mulder asked, turning from his place at the fire to cast an eye over the baby. "Scully!" he said, realizing she was standing in the doorway. "Have a good sleep in?" he asked her, grinning.

"Why didn't you wake me, Mulder?" she said instead, watching as he easily scooped the baby into his arms, wriggled back from the fire a little so the heat wasn't too much for the infant, and turned his full attention to Scully.

"You've been doing all the work," he pointed out. "I thought it was fair to let you have a morning off and let me have a go at doing everything. Besides, you wouldn't have been sleeping so soundly when I got up if you weren't tired."

She smiled at his sweetness. "Thanks, Mulder."

He grinned shyly at her, and then turned to the fire. "I think that one's done, Jake."

"This one isn't burnt!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly, also turning from the fire. His cheeks were a very, very rosy red and his blue eyes were sparkling happily.

"What are you doing, Jacob?" Scully asked, entering the room.

"We're making mashmewoes!" Jacob announced enthusiastically just as Scully caught sight of a long skewer in his hands, adorned by a very toasted looking marshmallow.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Scully questioned, shooting a glance at Mulder who was deliberately avoiding her gaze and playing with the baby.

"This _is_ breakfast, Dana!" Jacob told her as though she were silly.

"You can't have marshmallows for breakfast, Jacob!" Scully pointed out.

Jacob stared at her stubbornly. "Mulder said I could."

"Just this once, Scully," Mulder said quietly, looking at her apologetically. "It's just, we didn't know how long we'd have the fire for so we thought we'd have the marshmallows now, and then have something else later."

On one level, she was irritated at Mulder for letting the child have sweets so early in the morning, not to mention him playing with a very long, sharp object in front of the fire. On the other hand, she thought to herself, her mother was present for it all and Scully remembered mornings where routine and 'healthy' were thrown out the window in favour of being silly together and making the most of a situation.

Her mind made up, she marched over to Jacob and sat down next to him, effectively stealing Mulder's spot in front of the fire.

"I hope there's enough left for me," she told Jacob, spying a half empty bag of treats lying next to the little boy. "I had a big sleep and now I'm _hungry_!"

"I made this for you," Jacob told her, offering her the marshmallow on his skewer. "It's the best one."

Touched beyond words at him offering her his unburnt, best marshmallow, Scully accepted the small offering humbly and made a big show of how good it tasted. "That's really, really good," she told him again as she swallowed, smiling at him. "Best marshmallow I ever had. Thank you, Jacob."

He smiled at her, and then carefully stuck another marshmallow on his skewer. "Now Mulder," he said, positioning the treat over the open flames with care.

"Mulder has almost had enough," Mulder informed them from where he was sitting behind them. "I think I'm too old for sweets in the morning, Scully," he told her, winking.

"Nonsense, Mulder," Scully informed him, stealing the skewer he'd been using and stabbing a marshmallow onto the end of it. "This was your idea, so you can have marshmallows too."

"I want to cook it then," he decided. "I like them done special."

"But I'm making you one!" Jacob said, obviously upset.

"How about you make Grandma one?" Scully asked absently.

"Is my Grandma here?" Jacob asked, surprised.

"Maggie," Scully amended quickly, wincing internally. She hadn't intended to refer to her mother as "Grandma", and yet, it had felt so natural. Just like considering Jacob and Lucy _her_ family felt natural.

"Is Maggie my Grandma?" Jacob asked curiously.

"Would you like her to be your Grandma?" Scully asked tentatively, watching him.

He frowned, thinking hard about the question, and then nodded. "I like Grandma Maggie," he announced. "She's a good Grandma."

Scully smiled with relief. "Good," she said. "I know she'll be happy that you want her to be your Grandma."

During Scully's conversation with Jacob, Mulder had maneuvered himself to Scully's one side where he'd casually taken the skewer and marshmallow from her hands, and was now attempting to cook it himself. The baby in his lap, however, was making things difficult because he couldn't get close enough to the fire to cook his treat without getting the baby too hot.

"Sit here, Mulder," Scully said when she realized what the problem was. "I'll take Lucy."

They swapped quickly, Mulder now sitting between Jacob and Scully, and Scully with the baby cradled comfortably in her arms.

Maggie entered the room a few minutes later, just as Jacob's marshmallow was pronounced 'cooked'.

"Here, Grandma Maggie," Jacob said, holding the skewer out Scully's Mom, "I cooked you a mashmewoes."

Maggie looked surprised for a second at his address to her, but she took the marshmallow with a smile of thanks, and like Scully, made a huge display of enjoying the sticky treat immensely.

"I'm done," Mulder announced as Jacob settled himself down for another round of marshmallow cooking. He smiled gently at Scully. "How's Lucy doing?"

Scully looked down at the infant now sitting quite happily in her arms and fiddling with the block which still managed to hold her attention, the light tinkling of the bell trapped inside obviously fascinating the child. "Good," Scully said, smiling against Lucy's downy head. "She's nice and warm, like a hot water bottle," she admitted.

"I need a hot water bottle," Mulder decided.

"You're sitting in front of an open fire, Mulder. You don't need a hot water bottle."

"Yes I do," he argued stubbornly, surprising her when he moved back from the fire and dragged her gracelessly into his arms.

"Mulder?" Scully asked uncertainly, hoping against hope that he couldn't feel how fast her pulse was thundering, and the he wouldn't notice that her breath sped up.

"You looked nice and warm and cuddly," he explained, wrapping his arms around and resting his head on her shoulder, apparently watching Lucy who was now looking at him with interest. "You look very cute in your pajamas," he added.

Scully wasn't so sure she liked being told she looked 'cute' all the time, but the feel of his warm breath against her neck stopped any words of protest from making themselves heard.

"Did you give her breakfast?" Scully asked instead.

"Yeah," he murmured, his voice deliciously close to her ear. "She wore more than she ate."

Scully smiled. "She does that."

"My mashmewoes is done!" Jacob announced, interrupting the small moment of silence they fell into.

"Eat it quick," Scully encouraged, "before it gets cold."

"I can't eat it!" he exclaimed.

"Why not?" Mulder asked.

"This one is for Lucy," he informed them, waving the stick at the baby.

Scully bit her lip and closed her eyes.

"Jake, Lucy is still a bit young for marshmallows," Mulder said gently. "How about we give that one to Dana and then you can have two more, okay?"

Jacob looked a little disappointed, but he nodded and graciously waited until Mulder pulled the marshmallow off the skewer before turning back to his task of cooking the remaining treats.

"I don't want it, Mulder," Scully informedhim quietly so Jacob wouldn't hear.

"Too bad," Mulder said. "You've only had one, you could do with another. Open wide."

He held the treat in front of her lips, moving it gently from side to side as though tempting her. Scully blinked; Mulder wanted to handfeed her?

"Come on, Scully, it's hot!" Mulder whined, moving it a little closer to her lips.

Realising she was in danger of Mulder squashing the stickiness all over her lips (and she had no doubt he was immature enough to do something like that) Scully relented and opened her lips, allowing him to pop the marshmallow inside her mouth. Her lips caught his finger before he had time to pull away, and for a second she froze, holding her breath. Behind her she felt Mulder gasp and hesitate, before he pulled his finger from her lips.

It was spinning out of control, Scully realized as she ate the marshmallow. In a few days they'd gone from having the very carefully drawn lines of their relationship twisted and blurred and in some places, erased entirely. She wasn't sure what he expected of her now, what he wanted… and she wasn't certain what she wanted from him either.

Wait, she thought, that was a lie. She knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted this to be real. All of it. She wanted to sit in Mulder's arms like this as his _wife_, not as his best friend who he loved and married because they both felt it was the best decision in a bad situation. She wanted him to _want_ her as his wife.

Swallowing the last of the marshmallow, Scully watched Jacob manipulate his skewer and work at the marshmallows for a long time, her mind surprisingly empty considering the emotional turmoil running through her body.

Lucy, oblivious to her emotions, continued to play happily in her arms while behind her, Mulder was equally silent and still.

She wondered what he was thinking.

---

Power returned before midday, surprising all the adults in Maggie Scully's residence. Scully, not one to sit around without a shower for long, jumped up almost immediately and disappeared to the bathroom for a long, hot shower. The water pounded over her shoulders and she dropped her head back, letting the spray massage her scalp.

Her thoughts now tumbled over each other and raced around madly, trying to make sense of something she wasn't entirely certain she could work out on her own. Was there any chance that the love Mulder felt for her was more than just affection and trust?

She kept hearing the sharp intake of his breath as her lips accidentally brushed against his finger sticky with marshmallow. Kept feeling the ghost of kiss when they got married. Kept feeling the lingering touch of his hands as he touched her more than usual, more intimately than usual. And he kept kissing her; light, stolen kisses that were hard to define as more than plutonic, but less than passionate.

She dropped her head against the wall of the shower stall, turning so the water could massage her back, and sighed heavily.

Was it all for display and the act of trying to convince those around them they were in love? Or was it real?

At least, she thought to herself as she turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, no one should have any problems believing they were in love. They were doing such a good job of it, Scully was starting to believe it herself.

Chuckling dryly at her line of thought, Scully got dressed and left the bathroom.

The phone rang just as she passed it on the hall table, so she answered it automatically.

"Dana, it's Alice."

"Hi Alice," Scully said carefully, concerned by Alice's tone of voice.

"We might have a small problem," Alice said bluntly. "Anne Logan's sister, Amber, wants the kids."

"But…"

"She's family, Dana. The only thing you have going for you at the moment is the fact that because of the murder investigation still underway means the kids can stay with you for a while longer. Amber's associations due to her work are concerning several people – there's talk that it might be someone Amber sees a lot of that committed the murder."

"What does this mean?" Scully asked, feeling cold inside.

"For now? Nothing. I know you've been pulled off the case because of your involvement with the children now and the adoption process, but they're still following up on leads apparently. They can't rule out anyone yet, so Amber is a no-go as far as the I'm concerned when it comes to leaving the children I her custody."

"Yes, but what about me wanting to adopt them!" Scully demanded.

"Anne and Paul didn't leave a will, so legally you have the same chance as Amber to get custody of the children. She's their aunt – biological family – so she has a big, _big_ advantage over you. However, her potential involvement with the crime through association, along with her current life style and single status is a big positive for you and Mulder."

"Is there anything I can do? Or need to do?" Scully wanted to know, closing her eyes and willing the fear of losing the children to stay away.

"Amber wants to see the children. We can't stop her, but because you and Mulder are their temporary guardians until full custody is granted once the investigation has progressed more, it means you can choose where she sees them, and you don't have to leave them alone with her."

Scully gripped the receiver tightly with one hand, leaning against the wall for support. "What would you suggest?"

"I haven't met Amber. Maybe it would be best if I set up a meeting with her to inform her that you and Mulder are willing to arrange a time for her to visit the children. That way, I can give you some idea of what to expect and what I think the best approach would be. It could be she wants to take them in because she cares about them, and maybe if she sees how you are with them and you're willing to work together she'll be prepared to support your adoption application."

"Is that really possible?" Scully asked disbelievingly.

"She's a young, single woman with a fairly risqué career. The last thing she needs, I would imagine, would be two children under the age of five. It's entirely possible. However, the only thing she might be after is the inheritance that automatically passes down to the children. Then again, if she is after that, maybe an arrangement could be made where you agree to forfeit all claims to the children's inheritance, provided she supports you adopting them."

Scully's head was spinning. "God, Alice… I.. this is so much…"

"I know, Dana, but I believe you and Fox can do this. I want you two do to this, because I've seen you with those children. For all of you, I want this to happen for you."

"Would you see Amber first?" Scully asked quietly.

"I'll call her as soon as we finish here, and let you know what happens as soon as I have some information," Alice promised.

"Thank you, Alice," Scully whispered.

"Don't give up, Dana. It might be a fight, but you still stand a chance of winning. Blood relation only counts for so much – other things have to be taken into account too."

Scully nodded, even though Alice couldn't see the gesture. "I'll tell Mulder."

"Take care, okay?" Alice said. "And call me if you have questions. And just keep going the way you're going in terms of meeting those adoption criteria – you're almost there for the application to be looked at fairly seriously."

"I'll talk to you later, Alice. Thank you for everything."

"Not a problem, Dana. Bye."

She hung the receiver up, and closed her eyes, letting her forehead rest against the wall.

"Scully?" Mulder's voice intruded on her thoughts.

She licked her lips and turned to face him. "There's a small problem, Mulder," Scully whispered, closing her eyes again.

They couldn't lose the children. Not after all this and giving so much. They just couldn't.

---

_Again, I'm so, SO sorry for the delay on this. My muse is working now though, so hopefully the next chapter isn't too long in coming!_

_Cheers,_

_Silf_


	12. Chapter 12

_Hey guys,_

_Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews! I'm absolutely blown away by all the comments, and the recs I've been getting on other sites! Heaps and heaps of thanks to you all!_

_And look, the next chapter is out already! Told you the muse likes reviews ;) _

**12.**

Despite the power having returned earlier that day, the fire had been tended and was still burning brightly in the hearth by the time Scully had the two children down for their afternoon naps. Mulder was sitting on the sofa, staring at the flames, when he heard her enter the room.

"Sleeping?" Mulder questioned softly, not taking his gaze from the open fire.

"Both out like lights," Scully said just as quietly, leaning against the doorjamb. "Alice hasn't called yet?"

She knew as we as Mulder did that the phone hadn't run, but Mulder knew she just needed the reassurance. "No," he replied, and then patted the sofa next to him. "Sit down."

It felt strangely normal for Scully to sit on the sofa next to him, and completely acceptable for him to put his arm around her shoulders and tuck her small body up tightly against his own. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, breathing in the warm, clean scent he knew so well, and relaxed into her company.

"I don't want to lose them, Mulder," she whispered against his shirt, her hand crawling up his chest and her fingers curling tightly into the cotton fabric.

"We won't," Mulder promised her even though he shouldn't make promises like that. "We'll do everything we can to keep them. I promise, Scully, we'll do everything."

---

Sitting at Margaret Scully's little writing desk, Mulder rested his elbows on it's carved wooden surface and dropped his face into his hands.

"Mulder?" Scully asked from behind him. "You okay?"

He lifted his face from his hands and half-turned on the chair to face her. "Trying to sort out the house," he admitted, running his fingers through his hair.

A flicker of doubt cross her face as she considered him. "Is that really a good idea, Mulder?" she asked slowly.

He stared hard at her. "You can't give up just because Amber has decided she wants the children," Mulder said firmly. "If we don't go ahead with the house and prove that we're serious about adopting then chances are they _won't_ award us custody, Scully."

"It's just… it's such a big investment and chance to take for something that might not happen now," Scully whispered.

"It might not have happened anyway," Mulder pointed out. "It's not like you to be so pessimistic, Scully," he chided gently.

"It's a beautiful, big house," Scully said quietly, closing her eyes. "I just don't want you to lose everything in this."

A surge of irritation rippled through Mulder at her words, and he felt something inside himself slowly turn to ice. Why would Scully continually worry about him giving to the children and her? Probably, he realized logically, because she didn't want to be indebted to him. Scully hated being in debt, and she would see this entire situation as him accommodating her as a best friend, not as a lover.

"I've told you, Scully, I want to do this. Stop doubting," he said curtly. "Just once it would be nice if you could accept what I'm doing and let me make my own decisions about which risks I'm willing to take."

She licked her lips nervously, shifting her weight. "It's going to be a joint investment then," she said finally, her voice achingly empty. "I'll cover half."

They'd been friends for a long time, and Mulder was well aware of Scully's financial status. If she met him dollar for dollar on the price of the house, her savings account would be effectively emptied.

"I sold my mother's house, and I sold the summer house," Mulder said quietly. "I was going to buy property anyway, Scully. Even if we weren't married and thinking about adoption, I would still be investing this money. That house is an amazing find; the price they've got it at is well below what it could be."

"Mulder-"

"Scully, we've discussed this already," Mulder said firmly, standing up. "You agreed to open a joint account. I was going to put all the inheritance money in there, so now instead of it sitting in an account it's paying for a house. I don't want to argue about this anymore."

Mulder didn't have to know Scully for six years to read the irritation in her blue eyes. And uncertainty. Scully was not one to accept charity or allow people to give to her without her feeling as though she'd earned what they were giving her. For her to accept the house went against her character, but Mulder didn't know how to explain to her that in reality, everything he owned was hers.

"I've already put the deposit through; the agents said we can move in any time we want."

"That fast?" she said, surprised.

He shrugged. "The money was sitting in the account. I had it transferred across."

Her eyes were wide at the thought of having paid for a house in full, and the fact that it was done in such a short space of time.

"I was going to suggest we start packing tomorrow; the sooner we're living there as a family the better."

The surprised confusion in her eyes tore at Mulder; he didn't like knocking her off balance and just leaving her, but he wasn't prepared for the argument she was bound to have about him paying it all without telling her, and not giving her the opportunity to contribute. Right now, the last thing he wanted to do was argue, but it seemed all Scully wanted to do was argue. Sighing, Mulder rose to his feet and walked past her, leaving her standing in the doorway.

---

He'd only been away for a day, but it felt like much longer when he stood in his apartment and looked around. This small area had been his home for the last fifteen years, and he knew it intimately. He knew where there were small cracks in the walls and where the floor dipped disconcertingly beneath his feet. He knew where the boards creaked, and that to open one of the windows you had to jiggle it just right.

Home.

Hopefully tomorrow home would be a beautiful old house in Arlington with a window box and backyard, complete with a wife and two children.

Smiling to himself, Mulder fed his fish before he once again surveyed his apartment critically, starting a mental list of what to pack first and what to pack last and what to simply leave behind or throw away.

Two hours later his phone rang.

"Mulder, it's Skinner."

"What can I do for you, sir?" he asked, jamming the phone between his shoulder and ear while attempting to unplug his computer cables.

"The investigation is stalling, Mulder. I can't put off interviewing Jacob any longer. We need to talk to him as soon as possible about what he saw."

Mulder stopped trying to wriggle the cords and gripped the phone tightly with his fingers. "Sir, I don't know if-"

"Mulder, you know procedure as well as I do. The fact that we've already wasted almost three days not interviewing him is a break in protocol."

"Have you spoken to Scully?"

"No, I didn't want to bring up the subject if she was around the children," Skinner admitted, surprising Mulder with his thoughtfulness. "I know she won't take it well, even though she knows and understands that we have to do this."

"Will we be allowed to be present?"

Skinner hesitated. "You're not on the case, it could be seen as stepping on toes of the agents who are investigating."

"We were the first agents assigned to the case," Mulder pointed out. "And we currently have the children in our care."

"I don't want you running off to solve this one, Mulder," Skinner said carefully. "Given the situation, I know you and Scully take it personally even though you didn't know the Logans, and I'm not prepared to have either of you act in a manner that could reflect badly on yourselves."

Mulder smiled at that. "I don't exactly have a spotless record, sir."

"Too many more spots, Mulder, and they might just decide your page is too dirty," Skinner returned pointedly. "You're already walking a fine line returning to the X Files. Now that you've effectively thrown it back in the Bureau's face, along with this usual relationship change and adoption applications… they could use anything to get you out, and despite everything, I don't want to lose you Mulder. You or Scully. You're good agents."

It wasn't often Skinner told Mulder how he felt, and Mulder took a few seconds to process the comment. "Sir, all I'm interested in is my family," Mulder said honestly. "I'm not willing to risk throwing them away by risking everything on a case right now."

"I never thought I'd hear you sound so sane, Mulder," Skinner said.

Mulder grinned broadly. "I'll talk to Scully tonight," Mulder promised. "I'm at my apartment at the moment packing; we bought a house and we're going to start moving tomorrow."

"That soon?" Skinner asked, sounding amazed.

"The sooner the better," Mulder said airily.

"When you make your mind up, you certainly make your mind up," Skinner sighed. "Call me tonight after you've talked to Scully."

"I'll talk to Maggie Scully and see if she'd mind letting you interview Jacob at her house," Mulder decided. "It'll be easier if he's comfortable in his surroundings."

"I'm glad you suggested that," Skinner said. "Would 10am work for you?"

"I'll just make sure Scully and her mother agree, but that should be fine," Mulder decided, reaching for the computer cables again. "Sir, while I have you on the line, what are you doing tomorrow after the interviews? We might need a hand with the moving…"

"I'll see what I can do, Mulder," Skinner said dryly, before hanging up.

Despite the thought of subjecting Jacob to an interview, Mulder smiled as he pulled the cable from the computer. They were moving tomorrow, and he was looking forward to having a home with Scully.

---

_A little shorter than normal, but I needed to set a few things up!_

_Again, thank you SO MUCH for the reviews. I'm happy you're all enjoying the fic; it's going to wrap up soon, I think, so hopefully I won't make you guys hang out for much longer!_

_Cheers,_

_Silf_


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey guys,_

_**PLEASE NOTE** – I've replaced the old chapter with this 'cleaner' version and put the rating back to T. If you want the old steamier version, please PM WITH your email address so I can send it to you._

_Sorry about the stuffing around; I didn't think about things properly when I posted. I apologise greatly!_

**13.**

Scully hung the receiver back into its cradle, resting her fingertips on its smooth surface for a few minutes as she contemplated Alice's call. The social worker wasn't entirely convinced by Amber Logan's motives for wanting the children, Scully decided, but was too professional to say it out loud.

As it was, Amber was insisting on meeting with her niece and nephew tomorrow, and Alice was suggesting that it was probably the best call to let Amber have her way and see how she interacted with the children.

Scully sighed and lifted a hand to rub tiredly at her forehead, as though the motion of her fingers could rub away the whisper of a headache starting there.

"You okay, Dana?" her mother asked quietly behind her.

Scully smiled tiredly and turned around to look at the older woman. "Alice thinks it would be a good idea if we let Amber see the children tomorrow."

"What did you say?" Maggie asked.

"I agreed. If we refuse to let Amber see the children, and she creates a fuss, it could result in the children being taken from us before we even start looking at the adoption formally," Scully explained. "Alice agreed," she added as an afterthought.

"Did you want her to meet you here?" Maggie offered.

Scully shook her head. "No, I'd rather not intrude like that, Mom."

"The children are comfortable here, Dana, and I don't mind."

"I was thinking the park," Scully admitted. "Or somewhere that Jacob is free to run around and play without having to listen to our conversation."

Maggie nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good idea," she agreed. "Weather forecast looks good, despite the snowfall. They're hoping most of it will melt by mid-morning. It's just going to be very muddy in a park, Dana."

Scully smiled. "I guess this in my introduction to mess and dirt. I just need to check with Mulder, and then I'll call Alice back to confirm."

Mulder didn't answer either his cell, or his landline. Pursing her lips with a touch of concern, Scully decided to wait a few minutes and try again. The third time she called and failed to receive an answer sparked the little niggle of worry already wriggling beneath her breastbone into a flame that licked eagerly at her imagination, tempting her with a thousand and one images of Mulder in trouble.

"I'm sure he's fine, Dana," her mother said as Scully determined buttoned up her coat and collected her purse and keys.

"You're probably right, Mom," Scully agreed. But she'd worked in a dangerous environment for too long to just sit back and accept that everything was fine. Mulder was Mulder, and Mulder managed to attract trouble everywhere that he went, regardless of how innocent his intentions. Besides, Mulder had a bad habit of running off without telling her that he was going, let alone _where_ he was going.

But he's married now, Dana, a little voice said inside her.

So? she thought back in response. It's only a formality. It's not likely to change him at all.

Irritated at herself for trying to drag marriage into it (after all, the marriage wasn't a real marriage and she had no real rights over Mulder), Scully pulled up in front of Mulder's apartment a lot sooner than she should have, had she obeyed the speed limit.

The ride in the elevator seemed to take forever, and she almost flew down the hallway to his door.

"Mulder?" she called, banging on the door. "Are you there? Mulder!"

There was absolutely no response from inside his apartment. A cold, hard feeling started to solidify inside Scully's gut, and she hated herself for the tremble in her fingers when she frantically searched her key ring for the spare key to Mulder's apartment.

"Mulder?" she called again, her voice almost too quiet as she stepped into his apartment.

The room was in absolute shambles; furniture and paperwork and clothing scattered carelessly with no sign of organization or thought.

Had he been robbed? A break in? The thoughts tumbled around her mind, and habitually her hand moved to her hip where she normally holstered her side arm.

Normally. These days, however, Scully was pretending to be a stay-at-home mom and there was no handy weapon attached to her belt. Cursing herself for not trusting her instincts and picking up her service weapon from the gun-safe at her mother's house before she left, she picked up a golf club – Mulder had golf clubs! – that was lying conveniently near the door and made her way carefully through his destroyed living room.

Was that a rustle of noise coming from his room?

Frowning, Scully gripped her makeshift weapon tighter and lifted it, mimicking a batsman on the baseball pitch.

Yes, definitely noise from the bedroom.

"Mulder?" she called out, adrenalin pumping. Her footsteps were barely audible as she crept toward the room in question, the club digging into her fingers where she gripped it too tightly.

There was no response from the bedroom, and she licked her lips as she positioned herself against the wall next to the door.

"Mulder?" she tried again, her voice barely more than a croak.

The door swung open quickly, and a large body stepped through. Scully start to swing hard, changing her course at the last minute when Mulder flinched backward in time to avoid her adjusted strike.

He had his hands on the club and had it yanked out of her hands before she could think, spinning her around pinning her against the wall before she had time to talk. "Jesus, Scully!" he gasped, dropping his face to her shoulder and relaxing his grip on her so that the pain subsided and she felt she could talk again. "Jesus," he repeated.

Her heart was racing in her chest; she knew from experience Mulder's reflexes were fast but he'd never used them against her before. Being on the receiving end of his speed was nerve-racking, especially considering her own fighting skills.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, not moving away from her.

Pressed tightly between the wall at her front and him at her back, Scully twisted her head to try and see him, but his forehead was still resting on her shoulder and all she could see was his dark hair and the tanned skin of his forehead.

"You weren't answering your phone," she whispered, closing her eyes and trying to still her heart beat. "Or your cell phone," she added, a slight accusation coloring her words.

"I didn't hear them ring," he said simply.

"I rang a few times," Scully said tightly.

He stepped away from her, and her back felt oddly cold and exposed without his body pressed against it.

"Is it a crime not to answer my phone?" he asked directly, trying to hide the irritation in his eyes.

"I had to talk to you," Scully said, ignoring his sharp question. "Alice called about meeting Amber Logan. She wants us to do it tomorrow."

Mulder, to her annoyance, didn't seem to be paying attention. As soon as she'd started talking he'd dropped to his knees and started crawling around on the floor.

"Mulder, are you listening to me?" she demanded sharply.

"Of course I'm listening, Scully," Mulder said, his voice muffled as he stuck his head under his desk. "What time?"

"Afternoon some time, I have to call Alice back," Scully said, trying to work out what he was doing. And what, she thought with irritation, had happened to his apartment. "What are you doing? And what happened?"

"The reason I didn't hear you call," Mulder said proudly, wriggling out from under the desk with a cord in his fingers, "is because I unplugged my lines when I disconnected my computer, and I must have forgotten to put them back in. Cell's probably lying somewhere under all of this," he added expansively, waving around at the mess in the living room. "And then I had a shower because I was dirty, but I thought I heard knocking so I got out."

Scully stared at the mess doubtfully. "What are you doing?"

He looked slightly wounded. "Packing, Scully."

Oh God, if this was packing she didn't want to see unpacking.

"You call this packing?" she asked him incredulously.

He frowned at her. "I'm getting rid of what I don't want or need anymore. It's called sorting out," he explained.

"Have you packed anything yet, or just practiced throwing it all out?" she asked dryly.

He huffed in frustration and struggled to his feet, still gripping the damn phone line. "What is your problem, Scully?" he wanted to know.

"What problem?"

"You've been snapping at me for… God, since we got married. Do you regret it already?"

Her mouth opened, but she found she couldn't respond. Regret about marrying him was one of the last emotions she felt, but what she did feel she couldn't tell him.

She had been _terrified_ when he hadn't answered the door and she'd called for him. Almost desperate with fear when she'd entered and seen the state of his apartment. He had no idea how scared she'd been that something had happened to him.

Then tell him, that little voice said inside her.

"We can get an annulment if you want," Mulder said dully, dropping the phone line and turning away from her to do something – she wasn't sure what – on his desk.

"Is that what you want?" she asked. She didn't mean for it to sound so snappish and accusatory, but the words and tone were out before she could stop them.

"If you're going to keep snapping at me, then yes," he said harshly. "I preferred it when we were friends and you could talk without feeling the need to snap at me."

_Preferred it when we were friends._

Well. At least now she knew for certain where she stood.

Scully closed her eyes, grateful that he was turned away from her so he couldn't see her fighting to regain her control. Maybe, she realized, that would be the best. If there was no chance of him ever loving her, even if they were married, then maybe it was best that they weren't married and stayed friends.

Friends was better than nothing, she tried to console herself, and opened her eyes.

He was watching her curiously, silent.

"Probably just as well we're seeing Amber tomorrow," Scully said quietly. "There's no point in holding onto the children if she wants them."

A look of confusion and panic brushed over his face. "You're giving up on the children?" he demanded. "I never took you for a quitter, Scully."

She smiled tiredly. "If we're not married, Mulder, I won't get the children if Amber contests. You know that, and I know that. The marriage was the only thing giving us a chance over her."

"But…" he stuttered.

"I'm sorry, Mulder," she said.

"We're not annulled yet," he said almost desperately.

She looked at him. "It's not working, Mulder. It's made things worse. I don't want to lose your friendship."

"You won't," he said firmly, staring at her, trying to convince her with his eyes that he was right. "It's just a rough patch. We'll get through it, and have our family."

_Our family._ The words rang strangely hollow and empty inside Scully. No matter how much she loved and wanted the children, and how much she loved and wanted Mulder, it would always be bitter and empty after this.

"You want to keep going?"

He nodded. "We can't lose the children, Scully."

She was surprised at his intensity of emotion toward the children already, but then Mulder had always been passionate and quick to give everything to a cause. There was also the use of the word 'we' which subtly told her that despite the arguments and anger, there was still a friendship there. He still considered her a part of the team.

But he preferred friends.

For the children, she thought. "If we break, Mulder, it won't be fair to the children."

"Why do you think we won't last?" he asked finally.

"We're cracking already. Is it really fair to them?"

"We can't be cracking," Mulder pointed out. "There's nothing to crack, so how could we be cracking?"

If anything, his words shattered the last flimsy hope she'd been allowing herself to cling too.

"I'll call Alice and let her know we'll see Amber tomorrow," Scully said quietly, surprised at how calm her voice was. "Is two o'clock okay with you?"

"Better make it three, Skinner is bringing some agents tomorrow morning to interview Jacob and I'm not sure how long it will take."

His words, so casually dropped, were the final straw.

"Damn you, Mulder," she hissed at him, her control slipping out of her fingers like silk on the breeze. "How can you say there isn't anything to crack, and then do you something like this?"

"Like what?" he wanted to know.

"You didn't even have the decency to arrange it with me. You just made the arrangements and assumed I'd fall in with them. That's not how a marriage works!"

"And just how does a normal marriage work, Scully?" Mulder demanded, his own temper obviously stretched just as thin as his own. "Husband and wife talk to each other and make plans? Yes, I agree, that's how it works. But we're _not_ a normal marriage. We're not even a _real _marriage. I'm doing my best here, Scully, but you can't seem to accept that. Are you sure you made the right call, asking me to marry you!"

"No," Scully said quietly. "I think it was the biggest mistake of my life if this is how we're going to be from now on. Nothing is worth this, not even the children. Alice was right, unless this is a real marriage there's no way it would work."

He'd propelled her back against the wall before she'd even finished speaking, his breath hot against her face as he looked down at her. "Then we'll damn well make this a real marriage," he breathed before crushing his lips against hers.

She struggled against him – his fingers were digging into her shoulders and his lips were bruising hers.

"Mulder," she tried to say as she attempted to push him off, but it only served to part her lips and allowed him to push his tongue past the barrier and into her mouth.

She struggled against him more, trying to pull her mouth from his, but the insistent stroking of his tongue and movement of his lips was doing something to her that she hadn't felt in a long time.

She tried to say his name again, horrified when it came out a moan. Instead of fighting his actions, she was responding to them. When had her tongue started twisting against his, and when had her hands stopped fighting him and started gripping his shirt, pulling him closer and closer?

Tasting her change in attitude toward his invasion, Mulder slipped one hand from her shoulder and wrapped it around her waist, tugging her closer. She moaned, feeling his hard heat pressing against her stomach, her own arousal flaring in response.

He pressed her closer against the wall, pulling his lips from hers and kissing a wet path down her neck until he nipped lightly at the elegant slope of her shoulder. "Scully," he breathed.

Scully moaned again and gave in to his assault.

---

_Again, I'm SO SORRY about this… please PM your email if you want the other version! And thanks for all the reviews too – I appreciated them!_

_Silf_


End file.
